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.