Information about the UNICEF Schools for Asia program we are supporting through the Varkey Gems Foundation.

1. Nepal
VGF and UNICEF
Projects
May 2014

2. Nepal is located in the Himalayas and
bordered to the north by the People’s
Republic of China and to the south, east,
and west by the Republic of India.

3. · The capital city of Nepal is Kathmandu.
· The Himalayan Mountains in Nepal are
the tallest in the world. Mount Everest
rises to 8 850 meters.
· People speak Nepali.
· The local food is usually a rice dish.
·
About Nepal

4. · Many Nepalese are unable to read and write.
·The majority of Nepalese live in small rural villages in
the countryside where village schools rarely offer
classes higher than the sixth grade level.
·There are lots of people who don’t have enough
money to send their children to school. Children have
to stay at home to help or they go to work to earn
money for their family.
Education in Nepal

5. A traditional Nepalese village.
· There is no running water or
electricity.
· Many villages do not have toilets.
· Their goats, cows and chickens are
tied up outside the front of the
house.
· Houses do not have doors.

6. Meeting a local family
This family live in a small village near the boarder of India. Mrs. Atal’s husband is an
elephant driver in a nearby park. He earns 270 dirhams a month which he spends only on
himself. This means that Mrs. Atal has to work to earn money to buy food and support the
family. She has a job mixing concrete in the next town and is paid for every hour she
works. If she works for 8 hours during the day she is paid 15 dirhams. This is not enough to
buy rice and meat and often the family will only eat rice for their main meal.
There are 5 children in the family. The oldest daughter is
married and has moved to another village. The second
oldest daughter has been sent away to work for another
family because Mrs. Atal could not afford to feed her. The
younger three children help out in the house by cleaning
and collecting fire wood. They attend the free local village
school which is funded by UNICEF and us! Babita
(photographed in the white shirt) is in year 6. This will be
her last year at school as her mum can not afford to send
her to high school. Babita told us that she would like to be a
tailor when she grows up. Mrs. Atal is very pleased that
Babita has a dream for her life but she said that this will
never happen as they can not afford the training and a
sowing machine.

7. Project 1
Urban Out of School Program for working
children and deprived communities in Chitwan
This afternoon/evening program provides the opportunity for free
basic education to children who have to work during the day either
in a nearby town, or in their home caring for their younger siblings,
collecting fire wood and cleaning, while their parents are out
earning money.
The money we donate pays for:
· The teacher’s training
· The teacher’s salary
· Books and pencils for the
children.

8. This is the classroom
where the lessons take
place. The children helped
to build this room as part
of a project.

9. Project 2
WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene)
Rastriya Lower Secondary School (Yr4-8)
The focus is this area has been sanitation and hygiene. Through
funding like ours this school now has separate toilets for girls
and boys, hand washing facilities and programs and boreholes
for fresh water.

10. Clean water is pumped up from
the ground using a manual
borehole pump. The man in the
white shirt is pumping the water
up.
The green
buckets are
then filled up
with clean
water for the
children to
wash their
hands with.
The student council monitor the program.

11. Project 3
Early Childhood Development Center
The ECD project is aimed at training teachers and parents to
make a positive difference to the care, emotional support and
social development of the young children in disadvantaged
communities. The money we give is used for training the
teachers and providing resources. Teachers are taught how to
make school fun for the children.

12. This Year 1 class has 50 students and 1
teacher. The teacher use to make the
children sit down and copy the work off
the chalkboard. She has been learning
how to make the lessons fun for the
children by giving them activities and
letting them work in groups. When the
children are having fun they want to come
to school and learn.

13. Our money is being used to help UNICEF programs and projects
in Nepal, India, Vietnam, Philippines and Papa New Guinea.
You can find out more about these projects we are supporting
by visiting the VGF and the UNICEF websites.
https://www.varkeygemsfoundation.org/AsiaSchools
http://www.unicef.org/education/index_61263.html
Each of these countries also have their own UNICEF page you
can look up for more specific information on each project.

14. A few more photos……
Working with children in a classroom.
Dancing with local Nepalese in their
village.
Tea time at a local cafe.Group photo with the local villagers.

15. Receiving our thank you picture from
the children.
Students waiting to welcome us to their
school.
The school ‘staff room’ under a tree.