Literacy and Livelihoods for 445 Women in Nepal

Overview

The Language Development Centre Nepal (LDC-Nepal) is implementing a Limbu Mother Tongue based multilingual education project in partnership with Limbu Language Development Association (LiLDA).

The project empowers Limbu people to learn to read and write in Limbu language and increases their awareness of linguistic rights for their communities. Our Mother tongue based multilingual education program seeks to improve the learning process for Limbu children in an easy way so school becomes enjoyable as apposed to bewildering. Our project also implements indigenous skill based income generation training programs for adults. We are encouraged because the local Limbu communities are very happy with the project activities with very small amount of support from us.

In detail

Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education

Two primary schools are able to start to use Limbu language as a media of instruction in the beginning grades. All together 84 children (Boys: 36 and Girls: 48) are getting benefits from the project. Thirteen teachers were trained to use mother tongue in the classroom activities. They were also trained to develop and collect Limbu literatures from Indigenous Knowledge (IK) holders as a reference reading materials in classroom.

Language attitudes are changing among the local stakeholders towards the importance of using their mother tongue at home and in local primary schools basic. Parents are interested to support school activities and they are giving more attention to their child's education.

Limbu Literacy class

Two trained facilitators conducted the two literacy classes with 39 participants. Literacy class participants are able to recognize, read and write the Limbu language with its Sirijonga script. New literacy skills are used daily to read an sign documents , read signboards and newspapers etc.

Livelihoods Activities

This project built five Khes (Limbu traditional skill to weaving cloth) weaving sets and conducted a one month Khes weaving training to five Limbu women. These five women have now started a family based Khes weaving business.

Looking Ahead

• LDC-Nepal is seeking long-term grants to demonstrate effective and sustainable MLE programs in coordination with local schools, NGOs and government agencies.
• Parents are asking us to continue to run literacy program in Limbu and additional language to advance their daily life and support their child's education.
• LDC-Nepal will continue encourage being use Limbu traditional knowledge, science and skills for their better life.

We are grateful for your support. Thank you.

Overview

Our local staff makes regular visits to the project areas in Dang.   A team from the Language Development Centre also visited the Tharu project in April to meet with local women groups and help them to continue sustainable livelihoods activities in coordination with local stakeholders.

We visited seven women groups and three women saving and credit groups, which are formally registered in government office. It was so good to see progression in goat rearing, vegetable farming and fodder plantations to provide fodder for their goats as apposed to denuding the local forests for fodder. We met with over 150 women during this visit who are involving in project activities. This visit was encouraging because the local women groups are able to continue and initiate new group and project activities with very little financial support from us.

In detail

Goat Rearing

Each family has 9-10 goats, one member able to earn approximately $350.00 selling goats last year. More Goat sheds are under construction and families are planting fodder trees and bushes plus fodder plants for their goats.

Saving and Credit

Each group is running a saving and credit service. Project records show that each group is able to collect and invest approximately $1,335.00. By maintaining good financial records increased trust is developed among group members and communities, which contributes to initiating new activities. Each member deposits $1.04 (NPR 100) per month in her account with the group. The group then decides who receives loans, the level of interest and the repayment schedule.

Positive changes through group activities;

• Goat rearing practices are improving through proper goat sheds, nutrition and treatment
• Self confidence and unity among the women is increasing as they become economically and socially empowered
• Positive behavioral changes by men towards women including active support to the women groups

Comments from some of the participants

Punam (46), Chairperson, Women Cooperative: “I am able to lead the organization because I am learning from my experiences and committed to learn from other's experiences.”

Dhana (34), Manager, and Women Cooperative: “All the children in our village are enrolled in school. Not one child who can go to school is left behind when our school is open.” We are impressed by the change we see in the parents who are now more aware about the importance of school and have the financial resources to pay for the education expenses of their children.

Maya (42) Chairperson, Women Group: “I am happy to lead group activities and work with local communities to continue the project activities. I am anticipating more support to run our Community Learning Center, which help us to sustain our literacy skills and improve our livelihood activities. Now, I realized that literate person more aware for proper use of the financial resources. I am thankful those people who are supporting us.”

Like Maya we are also grateful for your support. Thank you.