Build Dormitories so 48 Students Can Go to School

Gaurishankar Secondary School

There is a saying in Nepal, "far west, far behind."  Gaurishankar Secondary School, located in Gaira Village in Doti District, 800 kilometers west of Kathmandu, is struggling to catch up. Already, Gaurishankar School is far ahead of regional standards by simply providing safe drinking water and bathroom facilities for the children -- luxuries unknown to most of the inhabitants in the region.

With a staff of 11 teachers, the school provides education to approximately 500 students in grades 1 through 10. More than 30% of the children are from indigenous minorities, including the Dalits, or "untouchable" caste.  As everywhere in the world, education is the way into a brighter future and better possibilities for the people of western Nepal.

However, Gaurishankar School serves 30 villages, some which are as far as 20 miles away.  There are no roads connecting these remote towns, and the children must walk hours on foot paths and undeveloped tracks through rugged terrain every day to attend classes.  More than 60% walk an hour to get to school, and some walk 8 hours to and from school every day.

Dormitories for Students

In 2010, Nepal Youth Foundation came to the aid of the students of Gaurishankar School with a pledge to help construct dormitories on an adjacent piece of property donated by a local land owner.  Now, two dormitories, or hostels, are being built to house 24 boys and 24 girls in grades 9 and 10. The students will live at the hostels during the week and go home on the weekends. This "home away from home" is particularly valuable to the children in these higher grades as they study for their School Leaving Certificate Exam (SLC).  Referred to as the "Iron Gate," passing this exam is essential in order for students to continue with their education, either into university or vocational training.

The dormitories will provide domestic amenities matching the standards of the developed regions of Nepal: sound structures with modern kitchens, common study areas, two-person shared bedrooms, and toilet and shower facilities. In addition to full-time supervisory staff, teachers will also stay in the hostels through the week, providing guidance and tutoring to the boys and girls.

Now, those hours, once lost walking back and forth from remote villages, can be invested by the children in learning their academic subjects very well. This "home" near their school will ensure that these deserving students will change the course of their own lives and, thus, the world in which they live. Through programs like these, western Nepal will be able to catch up with the standards of Kathmandu and join the 21st century.

We thank you for supporting this worthwhile project.  For more information about this and other NYF projects, please visit our website at www.nepalyouthfoundation.org. Follow this link to watch our new 4 minute video:http://bit.ly/uv6is2.

Links:

• NYF Website

Children sometimes walk for 8 hours a day to attend school in rural Nepali villages.  There are no paved roads in rural Nepal.  The children attending school in these remote villages are walking over rough terrain through streams and rivers.  Naturally, this promotes a high dropout rate. 

To encourage our village scholarship students to remain in school, we devised an innovative approach that will allow these children to attend school while living in NYF’s local dormitories during the week.  The students will return to their families on weekends.

NYF is currently building the dormitories close to the school.  Teachers will also reside at these dormitories during the week.  This will enable the teachers to assist the students with their homework and to act as guardians for the children.

We need funding to properly furnish these dormitories.  The dormitories will have a communal kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, and a study hall and living space.  We thank you for supporting this worthwhile project.  Follow this link to watch our new 4 minute video:http://bit.ly/uv6is2.

Links:

• Nepal Youth Foundation

Dear Friends,

The Nepal Youth Foundation has started to rescue children with HIV/AIDS!
The New Life Center in Kathmandu, Nepal provides excellent treatment to children with HIV/AIDS while teaching their parents to live hygienically and cook nutritious meals. This training dramatically reduces the risk of acquiring the illnesses that make HIV develop into AIDS, and lets HIV-infected people lead fulfilling lives. Find out more about this pioneering project!
http://www.nepalyouthfoundation.org/programs/health/newlife.html

NYF's founder Olga Murray describes falling in love with Nepal
She also discusses NYF’s diverse programs for children and the organization's plans for the future, in an interview in the Napa Valley Register.
http://bit.ly/8XzPn6

Read an interview about NYF's life-changing projects!
Read an interview with the Nepal Youth Foundation's Development Director, Gregg Tully, about NYF's work to end child slavery in Nepal, scholarships, and children's homes. Also watch a video in which a blind Nepali girl describes the happiest moment in her life.
http://bit.ly/9Fihbt

NYF earns its fourth consecutive four-star rating
Because of our exceptional fiscal management, the Nepal Youth Foundation received its fourth four-star rating – the highest possible – from Charity Navigator, America's largest evaluator of charities. Only 8% of the charities evaluated receive four consecutive four-star ratings. This indicates our extremely efficient and effective implementation of the funds that you, our donors, contribute.

A hair salon held a fundraiser to rescue enslaved Nepali girls!
Salon Amour in Walnut Creek, California donated 100% of their proceeds for a day to NYF, and raised $5,000 – enough to rescue 50 girls! Find out more about how they did it at http://www.callandresponse.com/blog/?p=753. Can you hold a fundraiser, too? Read about many creative and fun ways you can help NYF rescue needy children:
http://www.nepalyouthfoundation.org/howtohelp/supporters.html

Please donate today to enable the Nepal Youth Foundation to give unimagined opportunities to some of the most destitute children on earth. It only costs $100 to rescue a girl from bonded servitude and let her get an education.
http://www.nepalyouthfoundation.org/howtohelp/index.html

Links:

• Learn about the Nepal Youth Foundation!
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• Watch our videos on YouTube