Literacy and Livelihoods for 445 Women in Nepal

Help Society Nepal, a partner NGO of Language Development Centre Nepal [LDC-Nepal], is implement Land and Food Security activities with Freed Kamaiya community groups in Dang and Deukhuri area. Last week our team had visited Deukhuri area to consult with project beneficiaries to know their progress and help them to continue their activities effectively.

I am very happy to share the report on our experiences and community's participation under this project. Community's response and involvement is very encouraging for us because it will help us to achieve significant results.

Objectives:

To monitor participant's progress after entrepreneurship and skill development training and help them to improve their performance.

Achievements:

We had visited 71 freed Kamaiya families from different three villages, who received entrepreneurship and skill development training in August 2017. The participants are doing their activities based on their work plan, which was prepared by them jointly in the training.

Eleven families received a grant to start family based business [Pig rearing-2, Goat rearing-3, Pultry farming-5 & Small tailoring shoop-1] through their community groups. All eleven families are doing well in their business as their commitment. Pig, Goat and Chicks are growing well. Tailoring shop is setup and gradually getting business. One of beneficiaries Cheukali Kumal told us, "Chickens are getting ready to sale within week and I am hopeful for good profit. I will able to make financial support to my group member to start new business"

Durga Sarki and Sumitra said, "We need more technical support and consultation to gain more information to upgrade our knowledge in poultry farming. We are planning to provide financial support another family within one year."

Group has decided family who received financial grant they have to provide financial support to another family. Even they received the amount as business grant. 

We are giving full respect and providing support to the community from our limited resources to fulfil their anticipation to have quality life. So "Good and rapid prosperity can be achieved in the country only through good citizens and leaders by ending policy of privatisation and commercialisation in the education [formal and non-formal] system, which will develop an atmosphere to make development inclusive and qualitative." [P. Kadel, Dec 2017].

We [LDC-Nepal] would like to contribute to change the situation for better life of the freed Kamaiya's families through integrated development program. We need your regular cooperation and blessings to implement the project activities effectively.

We are grateful for your support. Thank you.

Help Society Nepal, Dang is implementing Land and Food Security Program, where Language Development Centre Nepal is providing consultative and small financial support.  The program is implemented through local community groups in Dang, Bardiya and Kailali districts.

I am delighted to share an entrepreneurship and business planning training was successfully held in Bardiya [27 Oct to 3 Nov 2017] where 63 people [Female: 50 & Male: 13] were participated from different two groups.

Objective of training:

To develop entrepreneur and planning skills of participants to start family-based business in their own community.

Achievements:

• All participants are committed to use the skills what they learned during the training
• At the end of the training 25 participants are presented their draft business plan [Pig farming, Poultry farming, Tea shop, Retail shop and Mobile repair centre] and committed to start business within few weeks.
• Local government representatives [ward chairperson and ward secretary] are ready to facilitate to ensure identity cards for missing Kamaiya and Kamlahari.

Padam Bahadur Aire, ward no 10, Chairperson said, "Gauriganga Municipality has allocated the budget Rs 500,000 for roads, provide drinking water and electricity and livelihoods activities for freed Kamaiya and Kamlahari to improve their life situation."

Kamal Chaudhary, ward no 7, Chairperson said, "Kailari Village Council is working to develop an integrated plan to address freed Kamaiya and Kamlahari family's issues."

"We are anticipating seed money to initiate the business because our financial capacity is not sound to make required investment as our business plan." [Collective voice from participants] 

Challenges:

• Participant's poor literacy level is indicating that they need entrepreneurship [Financial] literacy programs to make them successful in their business.
• We do not have capacity to provide seed money to all families to initiate their business.

We had a fruitful training and conversation with participants and local government representatives. They are enthusiastic and creative to change the situation with wise plan and activities. We found that the participants are motivated to manage their resources to setup new business as their plan. 

We believe that their dream will make change in their life because of self employment and family-based business plan is prepared by themselves. So "Financial literacy or self education will make us more prudent and efficient to deal our life issues." [P. Kadel, Nov 2017]

I would like to contribute myself with your great cooperation through the Language Development Centre Nepal.

We are grateful for your support. Thank you.

Language Development Centre Nepal [LDC-Nepal] is giving consultative and small financial support to Help Society Nepal [HS-Nepal] to implement Land and Food Security Program for Freed Kamaiya and Kamlahari in Dang, Bardiya and Kailali since 1 February 2016. The program is implemented through local community groups. Our team was visited different community to know local community's especially Freed Kamaiya's ideas and their progress. I am delighted to share one of our visit and meeting report for your kind information. 

We visited the "Marghatti Freed Kamaiya Group" [10 October 2017] and made open interaction with group and other community members of ward number 7, Barbardiya Municipality, Bardiya.

Group formation date:           27 September 2016

Total numbers of member:    25 [Female: 14, Male: 11]

Progress:

1. Seasonal and Off Vegetable Farming: The group is started vegetable farming since February 2017. They are able to make gross profit Rs. 115,000/- [Rs. 4,600 per member]. This group is also created "Group Reserve Fund" and each group member was donated this fund Rs. 250/-. They have plan to continue to run this reserve fund. Group members are very happy with their progress and planning to continue this activity. We offered them some technical and seed supports.
2. Group Saving Credit Activity: The group is decided to start "Saving & Credit" program within group and setup later as a Cooperative. Each member is saving Rs. 50/- per month since last six months. The collected amount Rs. 1,250/- per month is loan to its member in group collateral. Group has made provision that the member hast to invest this loan in productive sector. Interest rate of loan is 2% only.

 We had a good interaction with group and community members. This is encouraging for us because group is committed to continue their activities to improve their life situation and invest their income in children's education. They have also some concerns, Sunita BK [Secretary] said, "We are looking great cooperation to have official certificate [Lalpurja] of our land." One of the member from the community said, "We would like to change our socio-economic situation to have quality life and gain more respect in the community."

We found that Freed Kamaiyas and Kamlharies are interested to use their capacities in productive field and looking for more training, technical support and consultation to improve their performance. We have to provide our support continuously to involve them self employment through skill development training to ensure basic facilities in their life.

We have to aware and motivate them to see big dream in their life. If people are start to think positively and involve in their profession with great hope, then prosperity will be easily achieved. "Our mindset is badly manipulated. We have to workout to rewire our mindset through right information, good-quality education and indoctrination." [P. Kadel, Oct 2017]

I would like to contribute myself with your great cooperation through the Language Development Centre Nepal.

We are grateful for your support. Thank you.

I am delighted to share our project activities report in Limbu communities, local community [Government] schools and Community Learning Centre [CLC] to promote Bi/Multilingual Education [Bi/MLE]. Our support is helping to use Limbu language as an Instruction language in basic education [Formal and Non-Formal/Literacy]. Local partner's [Yakthung Academy Nepal] member had one-to-one meeting with School Head Teachers, local community's leaders and Indigenous Knowledge [IK] holders to know their perceptions about language, education and development issue in their schools and communities.

During our visit we provided some books and MLE reference manual to eleven schools and one CLC for their library. Fiftteen trilingual [Limbu-Nepali-English] books and 2 MLE reference manual was handover to each school and CLC. School head teacher was requesting us to provide training to their teachers to introduce MLE is their schools. IK holders was asking us to help to collect and edit local literature for school program. One head teacher from Gyan Jyoti Basic School said, "I would like to introduce MLE in our school but due to lack of training it is not possible its effective implementation. How would your organisation develop partnership with us?" This is very challenging statement for us because we do not have enough funding to provide regular support to them as per their request.

We found that all local stakeholders are anticipating for our support to implement effective and successful MLE program in their respective schools and communities. "Stakeholders especially parents and teachers have to be literate and convinced about the benefit of Bi/Multilingual Education for its effective implementation with best policy and plan." [P. Kadel, 2017]

We have to literate our parents especially mothers in Limbu language to promote language, education and development activties in Limbu communities. Because if parents are illiterate they will not able to support their children's education.  

We are trying to support the local communities to literate them about the five key benefits of Bi/MLE. 1) Family benefits, 2) Educational benefits, 3) Career benefits, 4) Cultural benefits and 5) Additional language benefits. But our support is not enough to convince them about Bi/MLE.

I would like to contribute to implement effective and successful Bi/Multilingual Education in Nepal with your great cooperation through the Language Development Centre Nepal.

We are grateful for your support. Thank you.

Pushker Kadel, LDC-Nepal Director 

Why are parents investing their income in children's education?

I would like to share some findings from my own experiences last year (July 2016 to July 2017) about language, education, development issues and parent’s perception about education. During this time, I met many people, especially parents, teachers and students. It was wonderful experience for me to learn or understand parent's dreams about their children future.

I found each parent is dreaming about their children been successful in education. They would not like to see their children lead the same life as their own.  In conclusion I believe, "Success and satisfaction, including academic, professional, educational, and spiritual, will be determined by the level of commitment and the willingness to use the past experiences and knowledge to achieve this. This perspective must be incorporated into our education system."[P. Kadel, 2017]

One rickshaw driver from Birgunj said, "I would like to see my son have a successful life and a good education, so I am investing my income for his education."  Friends from Birgunj have told me, parents are more committed and devoted towards a good future of their children.  The mind-set of parents is changing and they are positive to make more investment on educating their children. I had a meeting with a parent in Dang, she said, "We see educated people lives is more comfortable and progressive, so I would like to spend my income for my children's education." When I asked her what she did, she said, I am a daily worker and saving money for my children's education.

 The Rickshaw driver and the lady are both model parents committed to providing the best possible education for their children. They are looking for quality education but unfortunately "a mismatched education system, a non-responsive political mind-set and setting and unrealistic policies of the state are the main reasons why Nepal is considered backward and its people are not respected by others.  Nepalese lives will not be improved until we realise that.  The quality of life depends on the quality of its education, politics and policies of the state." [P. Kadel, 2017]

I would like to contribute to change Nepal’s education situation by using best practises in language, education and development programs, with your cooperation through the Language Development Centre Nepal.

We are grateful for your support. Thank you.

Pushker Kadel, LDC-Nepal Director