Child Protection Nepal Project #33665

Education+care+mentorship for 100 Nepali children

by Himalayan Children's Charities

Education+care+mentorship for 100 Nepali children

Project Report | Apr 20, 2021
Spring 2021 Program Report

By Mun Maya Rawal | Executive Director

It has been over a year now since COVID-19 restrictions have been negatively affecting our students, who already face so many obstacles. While most schools had resumed classes by the end of 2020, Nepal is again facing lockdowns and school closures with rising case numbers and a second wave on the horizon. And with issues of school dropout, trafficking, and child marriage on the rise in our communities here, it’s more important than ever to keep supporting the at-risk children in our program. For now, all of our RESP students are very happy to be back in school and continuing their studies. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve continued to visit and speak on the phone with each of our students, making sure that they have everything they need to be safe, continue their studies, and stay hopeful for the future.

In mid January, our HCC Nepal staff travelled to three places in the rural, mountainous Dhading district to meet with students - some of them for the first time since the pandemic shutdowns. During this trip, our staff was able to meet 44 students and their guardians and teachers. We distributed scholarship funds for the year, warm winter clothes and school stationery supplies, as well as extra COVID-19 relief support, personal care items, and toys for enjoyment. The stationary, winter clothes, personal care products, and toys were prepared by HCC’s highschool students in Kathmandu into nice gift packages for each child to receive.

As a team, we are enjoying our work helping children who are in similar positions to what we once faced and being role models for them. We feel like we are making positive changes in the lives of these children and in our country, and we are grateful for that opportunity. Thank you everyone for making this possible through all your hard work and dedication to support this noble cause.

Thank you to everyone who has helped our program to sustain. Because of you, we are able to reach out to the students who are in need and help them to deal with the problems that they face. The students in our program feel more secure knowing that they have our support. They know that we are always only a phone call and a bus ride away, that we understand what they are going through, and that we are here to help them succeed and reach their potential. With each visit, we become closer with our students, and are better able to help them succeed and reach their full potential.

RESP Scholarship Distribution Program:Provided yearly amounts of support for the students in the Lower Dhading, Katunge and Upper Dhading.

HCC Higher EducationScholarship Orientation:We oriented and provided counseling to grade 10 and above RESP students about the HCC Higher Education Scholarship Program. We also handed application forms and encouraged them to go through it and fill out the form and send it to us.

Books and Stationaries:We provided stationery items such as packs of pencils, pens, pencil colors, erasers, sketch books, copies and rulers to all students to help them in academic performance.

Warm winter clothes: Considering the winter season and cold weather, we provided a pair of warm socks, woolen cap, muffler, tracksuit, undergarments, and handkerchief for each child in Dhading.This will help children to stay warm and go to school.

Personal Hygiene:We provided personal hygiene items such as cold cream, soap, hair oil, toothbrush, toothpaste, hair comb, vaseline cream, lipcare, masks and sanitizer.

Individual written update, photos and videos:We interviewed all the students to know about their present situation, school update, way of living and the things that they learned during the lockdown. The main purpose of interviewing the student were to:

Assess the well-being, academic progress, and household conditions of each child
Ensuring that HCC funds are being used properly (i.e. for the care and education of the child)
Collecting useful long-term data (qualitative and quantitative) to assess the efficacy of the RESP program;
Collecting useful information and updated photos to share with sponsors.

*Seema is currently studying in Grade.9. She is a hardworking and determined student. Currently she lives in a school hostel along with other HCC students. She is the oldest of all the HCC students living at the hostel, and she helps to take care of the younger children. Seema and the other HCC students at the school were able to continue their studies this year, despite the lockdowns and school closures, because of your support. Seema is a loving and caring older sister.

Last month the school conducted an English Debate Competition and she stood on 3rd position. This is amazing, as she did not speak English before HCC began supporting her education 5 years ago. She is a top ranking student in her 9th grade class and in her first terminal examination she secured 3.65 GPA! We are so happy to see Seema’s academic and extracurricular achievements.

*Meena is 12 years old and is currently studying in Grade.7. She is excellent in her academic performance and also active in extracurricular activities. She stands in 1st position in her class, and we are so proud of her for this! Her favorite subject in her school is Science. She is also a very good singer, and enjoys singing at school events and community gatherings.

The pandemic was not easy for her, and she was disappointed and frustrated to be out of school for so long. Nonetheless, Meena was able to engage herself in meaningful activities such as helping her family in the village with household chores, reading story books, drawing and coloring, playing with dolls and jumping rope, and exploring nearby areas with her friends. But she missed her school and friends badly. These days, she is happy and excited to go to her school. It has already been 5 months since her school opened, and she is attending her classes regularly.

*names has been changed

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Dec 23, 2020
Winter 20/21 Report

By Mun Maya Rawal | Executive Director

We would like to thank all our supporters for being part of the HCC family! Because of your sponsorship and dedication, 2020 was a year of growth and accomplishments for HCC, and academic successes and new milestones for our students.

Since schools in Nepal closed at the end of March 2020, we have been working hard to make sure that each of our students don’t fall behind in their education. We’ve made special arrangements with school principals for continued in-person classes, arranged for online class attendance (no small feat in rural Nepal), and continuously mentored and problem-solved via phone calls and visits with our students, including those who are without access to either in-person or virtual classroom instruction. Though not ideal, the government has also been broadcasting basic lessons for each grade level over the television and radio, providing some learning material for students in remote areas.Since November, schools across rural Nepal have started reopening, and as of late December 2020 the majority of schools attended by children in our program are open.

In early December, HCC Nepal staff (Dinesh, Laxmi and Mun Maya) made a trip to the Kavre district to meet supported children and their family.

Siblings Prakiriti, Prastuti and Prastut are doing well in their studies and are happy to be back at their school and with their friends. Prakirti studies in grade 5, Prastuti studies in grade 8 (and is currently studying for her upcoming exams) and Prastut studies in grade 1. They enjoy being outside and exploring different and new places. Other than going on adventures together, their favorite things to do during their leisure time are to make tik tok videos, read storybooks and watch movies, play games, sing and dance. When they grow up, Prakriti wants to be a doctor, Prastuti wants to be a singer and Prastut wants to be a policeman and serve the nation.

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Oct 7, 2020
Fall 2020 Report

By Mun Maya Rawal | Executive Director

Due to Covid-19 lockdown, schools and school hostels have been shut down since the end of March 2020. The virus pandemic has made it uncertain as to when schools and hostels will be able to reopen. In the meantime, the government is broadcasting some basic lessons for each grade level over the television and radio, and HCC is continuing to serve each student in our program as best we can.

This week, HCC staff travelled to three districts to meet with students for the first time since the pandemic shutdowns. During this trip, we were able to meet with 25 students and distribute regular scholarship funds and school stationery supplies, as well as extra COVID-19 relief support and personal care items including masks, soap, and sanitizer.

While a few of our students who are studying in the Dhading district headquarter are able to continue their regular studies via distance learning, the majority of our students in rural communities do not attend schools with enough resources to provide this opportunity to them during the extended school closures. Unfortunately, this means that many of our students in the rural areas are currently not in school. HCC is keeping in close contact with each student and their guardians to make sure that they are safe and have their basic needs met. Additionally, we are doing our best to counsel each student to help meet their unique needs and encourage them to work independently on their coursework so that they do not fall behind. This is important because a consequence of the pandemic school closures is that millions of students including more than half of Nepal’s girls are at-risk for dropping out of school. HCC has also been able to make special arrangements with two school principals to keep a handful of students at each school housed and cared for at the school hostel, enabling them to continue their studies with dedicated teachers and tutors.

All of our students are desperately looking forward to going back to their respective schools and continuing their students.

Anu* says- “I have been really bored since I am not attending college these days due to lockdown. I am missing my school a lot and want to go back as soon as possible and also meet my friends”.

Sunita* says- “ During this lockdown I have been exposed to different places around my area which has become a part of learning. But I have a very big dream of being able to stand on my feet and give back to my family and society and this is not possible without attending the school.”

We want to thank all our supporters for their continued sponsorship. As we navigate these uncertain times, your support is immeasurably helpful in keeping our students safe and ensuring they receive excellent care and continuing education.

Anurav*Namaste!!

My name is Anurav and I live with my mother in a rented room in Dhading Besi. Recently I got promoted to grade 8. My classes have resumed online for the past two months. The online classes are not so effective but still I am happy that I get to attend them during this COVID-19 pandemic period and get to learn new things from my subject teacher. Everyday I keep myself busy with my studies, helping my mother in the household chores and learning various life skills.

During this COVID-19 pandemic period I am utilizing my time by practicing English, reading, learning typing on the computer, playing cricket, going for morning walks with my mother, reading books, and doing my school assignments. My favorite thing to do during the lockdown is go bike riding and practice typing on the computer. Now I am good at typing.

From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank all the sponsors and donors for your continuous love and support. Thank you!!!

Ram, Sonu and Melina*

These three are siblings. They stay with their widow mother and run a small restaurant in their village. Due to this lockdown, they could not run their business but they had enough funds for their family to survive. These three children help their mother in their work and also help themselves in need. They attend their online classes, as long as it's possible. They have been waiting for this lockdown to be over so that the family can again run the business and earn for the living.

*names have been changed

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