Literacy and Livelihoods for 445 Women in Nepal

Language Development Centre Nepal (LDC-Nepal) is supporting Limbu communities in Panchthar to promote their heritage language and culture through multilingual education. & development activities. LDC-Nepal is assisting local primary schools to promote mother tongue education and adult literacy activities partnership with Limbu Language Development Association (LiLDA) and indigenous knowledge (IK) holders for the Limbu Communities. LDC-Nepal supports LiLDA to promote Limbu language & culture and its uses in basic education (formal and non formal).

You can find Limbu literature but these are not relevant to basic education especially for children as they are not contextual. We spent over four months in the Limbu communities to collect oral literature suitable for Limbu children. We able to collect fourteen different stories and edited them during workshops in Phidim.

Topics:

1. Chhuchudro (a mouse) by Dhanhang Subba
2. Dalsin Dhunga (a stone) by Lachhami Serma
3. Gurans, Uttis ra Bans (local plants), Sesefung Serma
4. Nawagi Puja Thalaniko Katha (Blessings) by Malisa Yakthunba
5. Kummayek Devi (Tourist spot) by Nisumhang Nembang
6. Chakchake Dahle Marinchha (Greedy man) by  Kedem Kumari Subba
7. Dhobini Chari (One little bird) by Tank Chongbang
8. Dhunge Unew ra Simal (Stone and a plant) by Rajendra Kumar Jabegu
9. Gol Sima Chari (Wood pecker) by Sita Lawati
10. Buddhiko Kamile Dukha Painchha (Depression) by Thamsung Yalembar
11. Kurle Dhukur (Bird song), Shyam Suhang Chongbang
12. Chhatu Chor Bandar (Clever Monkey) by Dilli Lingdam
13. Buddhi nai Thulo (Wisdom) by Thamsung Puspa Subba
14. Chara Sammelan (Bird meeting)  by Raj Kumar Aangdambe

All IK holders were very happy to share their oral literature to group for editing. They are hopeful, it will be published and children will benefit from their contribution. They said, “This is very new idea for them to collect the oral literature from the IK holders and edit in the group with illustrations. Bhawani Tawa (LDC-Nepal volunteer) said, “I spent about ten months meeting with Limbu IK holders and convincing them to share their oral literature. It is challenging job to choose the best stories for the children.”

We also distributed MLE Reference manual 'Multilingual Education in Nepal' and Trilingual (Limbu-Nepali-English) Limbu book to school in coordination with Panchthar District Education Office.

Key Concerns: Limbu communities and local schools continue to ask us for more support to them to enable them to use Limbu language in basic education, train the teacher how to use mother tongue as a medium of instruction at the beginning and in the transition to Nepali and English. We continue to try to generate additional resources to expand our activities with LiLDA.

We are grateful for your support. Thank you.

Background

Help Society Nepal (Tharu NGO) Dang celebrated International Mother Language Day Feb 21, 2016 in Hemantpur village.  The Language Development Centre Nepal provided financial and technical assistance to organize this event.  There were more than 30 participants - teachers, parents, Indigenous Knowledge holders, local government representatives, journalists and members from civil society organization. 

Objectives

• Create awareness of local stakeholders about multilingual education
• Develop a network among local stakeholders to promote multilingual education
• Discover attitudes toward mother tongue as a language of instruction in basic education

Achievements

The event began with paper ‘Multilingual Education: Opportunities and Challenges’ (P. Kadel, 2016), introduced by civil society leader Mr. Kulbir Chaudhary. The interaction was started based on Mr. Chaudhary’s presentation.  Participants openly shared their ideas and concerns about language and education issues in Dang.

 Participants views about mother tongue in primary education and its benefits.

• Mother tongue is important to develop learner’s cognitive power
• Mother tongue education will help to provide quality education and socio-economic development of the society
• Language is a key tool to gain knowledge and for effective communication
• Mother tongue must be used as medium of instruction for all children
• Our language needs to be preserved to preserve our culture
• Language is important in science, skills and our view of life and must be used to inform the next generation through education
• If we use children’s familiar language (mother tongue/home language) as medium instruction in basic education it will help them to understand what they taught, and enable them to become eager to learn new things and develop their self confidence
• Our existing teachers do not have capacities to use English as medium of instruction

Concerns from the participants:

• Mother tongue is killing by visitor languages
• How will the government prepare or provide teachers who can use mother tongue as a medium of instruction?
• Out-migration impacts the ability to promote mother tongue education
• Local government education officials must have a positive attitude to multilingual education. 

Recommendations from participants:

• The Government must prepare teacher to implement multilingual education  
• The Education office needs to prepare good quality materials in mother tongue and training on how to use these materials in local schools
• We must respect all languages and their role in development
• Teachers must have capacities to use local languages in basic education
• The Government should fully implement its policies and plans for multilingual education in basic education

Conclusion

The International Mother Language Day is an important day for all to advocate for the importance of multilingual education.  But … now is the time for action rather reaction to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism through language, education and development activities.

We are grateful for your support.

Thank you.

Pushker Kadel, LDC-Nepal Director 

Limbu Language Development Association (LiLDA) is supporting the local communities of Phidim Municipality, Panchthar by implementing Local Governance and Community Development Program (LGCDP) partnership with District Development Committee (DDC). LiLDA is assisting local primary schools to promote mother tongue education and adult literacy activities partnership with Language Development Centre Nepal (LDC-Nepal) for the Limbu Communities. LDC-Nepal regularly providing its supports to LiLDA to promote and implement mother tongue education and adult literacy.

Activity 1: Local Governance and Community Development Program (LGCDP):

LGCDP is implementing in 11 wards of Phidim Municipality. LiLDA is able to form Citizen Awareness Centre (CAC) in 2, 8 and 9 wards with 80 members (Female: 79, Male: 1). Among them 10 are Dalit, 57 are Ethnic, and 12 are others.

LiLDA supported the formation of Ward Citizen Forums in 11 wards of Phidim Municipality with 272 members (Female: 84, Male: 188).

Activity 2: Livelihood Improvement Program (LIP)

LiLDA is implementing LIP in all three Citizen Awareness Centers for poor and marginalized members. LIP has 100,000 NPR for its revolving fund to give loans to its members. These members are selected by the local community.  Each member receives 10,000 to 20,000 NPR as a loan.  These loans are for animal husbandry, animal health, poultry farming, organic agriculture, vegetable farming, and retails shops. Loans are repaid to the fund in installments. 

Activity 3: Community Infrastructure Grant Program (CIGP)

Each CAC (Community Awareness Centre) received 315,000NPR as a grant. This grant is used to establish community nurseries for fruit trees and other seedling, construct a community green house to produce vegetables and build one community electric mill.

Activity 4:  Literacy Classes

LiLDA is implementing 3 literacy classes in three Citizen Awareness Centers for all its members (Female: 79, Male: 1). These literacy classes are run for 52 days. The literacy curriculum covered the following contents; they are Agriculture practices and its improvement, Animal husbandry, Animal health, Poultry farming, Organic agriculture production, Environment, Health and sanitation, Rights of different communities and their responsibilities, Local government services and facilities, Socio-cultural heritage and its preservation and village tourism.

Activity 5: Limbu Script Classes

LiLDA is supported one Limbu Script (Sirijonga) class in Subhang Village Development Committee, ward number 9, Shuvang with 26 participants. Most of the participants are youth who are literate in Nepali and English languages. Last one month 26 numbers of youth (Female: 10, Male: 16) were able to learn to read and write Limbu using their own script. This program helps to aware young generation importance of their heritage language in basic education to develop strong foundation from the beginning. 

The Language Development Centre - Nepal is supporting the Tharu speaking communities in Dang to improve their socio-economic life in partnership with a local NGO, Help Society Nepal, Dang.

 Language, education and livelihood activities are implementing in coordination with local government, community schools and local communities.  This project is going well even with a small amount of funding.

Livestock management training was conducted in the Saudiyar Village Development Committee. Thirty participants were local Tharu farmers. The objective was to improve the farmer’s animal husbandry skills to increase their income from livestock.

Key issues in training:

• Pig farming and management
• Main diseases of buffaloes and treatment
• Goat rearing and its management
• Local poultry farming, balance diet, main diseases and treatment
• Fodder plantations to address deforestation

Themes of training:

How to use and enhance indigenous people's knowledge, resources, and skills to sustainable increase livestock in the Tharu community.

Achievements:

Thirty Tharu farmers participated in the training, 20 are men and 10 women. They were trained to change their animal husbandry skills for pigs, buffaloes and poultry. We included men in the training because women need men supports to increase their family-based business for their quality family life.

Training included providing a better good diet for animal and chicken using local resources.

Bechulal said, "I am a farmer from my childhood but I never think if I improve my farming practice it will change my economic situation. Now I am realized that our knowledge and skills need to be improved for our better economy." He added, "I will change my practices and help to change others sharing them what I learned."

The participants made following common statements in the training. The statements are;

• We will use the information and skills we learned from this training
• Animals and chicken need to be given good food, water and have a good shed for their better health then it will give good product
• We will regular consult with animal health workers for vaccinations and other issues
• We would like to request more training and support to enhance our practices

We are in difficult situation to make commitments to local people with We are trying to do our best to continue existing and expand activities from our limited resources but it is not easy for us to make commitment to local people to address their minimum requirement.

We are grateful for your support. Thank you.

The Language Development Centre - Nepal is supporting the Tharu and Limbu language speaking communities to improve their socio-economic life in partnership with Limbu Language Development Association in Panchthar and Help Society Nepal from Dang.

Language, education and livelihood activities are implementing in coordination with local government, community schools and local communities.  These projects are going well but following the earthquake which damaged some schools they are finding it difficult to resume normal class activities and parents are worrying about their children’s education.  Local communities are asking us to help them rebuild and repair classrooms, toilets and the school compound.

The attached report will help you to understand the community school situation in Nepal after earthquake.  We are facing challenges to continue existing activities from limited resources, but after two devastating earthquakes, the requirement is changed and local communities needs more support to build safe classrooms for their children.

We are grateful for your support. Thank you.

Pushker Kadel (Email: pushker.kadel@gmail.com)

Website: www.ldcnepal.org

• Appeal for your support for safe classroom (PDF)