Help 370 Nepali Children Access Quality Education

Dear Supporters,

We have had a very productive few months as our municipality wide projects got underway in the areas of Teacher Training, Advocacy, Mental Health, and School Governance. It has been very exciting to see everyone back working and the communities together again. Our experienced team of teacher trainers from facilitated an initial month of training the trainers and our newly trained teacher trainers have taken up their posts across the district, including Kushadevi School of course! 

All this has been managed despite lockdowns due to the worst dry season forest fires Nepal has experienced, causing thick smoke and ash that sat in the valley for weeks of stagnant weather with terrible visibility and irritating many of our team members’ breathing, eyes and ears. However that passed and things picked up again with some sterling work being done.

Sadly though, and not entirely unexpected of course, our Nepali based team now find themselves in a strict lockdown as COVID cases rise to over 400,000 and hospitals have few or no beds across the District. All schools have of course closed and we are working to ensure that our students, staff and teachers are able to manage and stay safe. As soon as regulations allow we will once again be working hard to ensure that everyone can undertake home learning and we'll be distributing home learning packs to every ward in Panauti with outside classes taking place in community school ‘clusters’ or bubbles.  

We have no way of knowing for sure when the current wave of COVID will slow and the lockdowns in Panauti are eased. And for now, everyone is sitting tight and waiting it out. I am sure you join me in sending all of our best hopes and prayers across to all of the children, their families and our staff that they all remain safe, avoid the worst and are soon back to the vital work they do.

Today however was a good day for our Sister School Project as things picked up again the UK. Our Programmes Manager visited Kushadevi’s sister school Milford Primary School for the first time in well over a year, and spent this afternoon with yrs 1 and 2 who had a lot of questions about their Nepali friends at Kushadevi and finding out how they have been getting along. Live links aren’t possible until schools are back in Nepal, but some of the children in Lockdown sent over some lovely videos saying hello to the children here in Milford, who were learning about school life in Nepal. 

We are so grateful for all your support over what has been a very difficult year for everyone, without your help we cannot do what we do ensuring improved quality of education for all the children in Kushadevi.  

Thank you,

Best wishes,

All the team at FtL x 

Links:

• http://www.freedomtolearn.org.uk
• http://www.facebook.com/freedomtolearnuk

To all you wonderful donors who have been so generous over the last few months, we thoroughly appreciate your kindness when we do know that many of you will also have experience difficult times. 

As you know this project is specifically supporting Kushadevi School. And we are very happy to let you know that for now at least, schools - are back! 

At Kushadevi we are operating with a bubble system, not dissimilar to schools in the UK. Students wear masks, and attend lessons socially distanced as much as possible.

So far things have started reasonably well considering the changes that the children have experienced over the last year. People from Nepal have always shown their exceptional ability to shrug shoulders, accept what is and make the best of it. This year is no exception.

They have not only seen the danger of COVID, as all of us have, but they have lived through the impact of multiple lockdowns with no welfare support, had to rebuild parts of the school (some of whom and their homes too) after severe flooding and managed the aftermath of a locust swarm destroying many crops. Our team and the whole school community have done a fantastic job - despite all the odds.  

As we have seen so often, the children and their families in Kushadevi have shown a strength and resilience. And we see it again now in our students back at school. They are embracing learning and showing an appreciation even more of Kushadevi as a fun, engaging, friendly community within which to learn.

We can’t do what we do at Kushadevi without your support.  We would not have the teachers, the resources and the welfare support for the children most in need without you. You continue to ensure that we can provide improved access to and quality of education for children who otherwise would not have the opportunities they now do. 

So, Thank you. 

And here’s to a safer, happier new year! 

Best wishes,

all the FtL Team 

Links:

• http://www.freedomtolearn.org
• http://www.facebook.com/freedomtolearnuk