Stories from the field

A compilation of stories from primary actors January 2017

Photography: Priyanka Budhathoki and Bed Prasad Dangi

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Stories

Sisters for Sisters’ Education in Nepal ........................................................... 1

Breaking the language barrier to get an education – Bhawani Paswan’s story ............................................................ 2

Supporting my daughter’s education – Tika BK’s story ................................. 3

Breaking tradition for education – Anisha Sharma’s story ............................ 4

Unveiling for education – Mala Devi Shah’s story ....................................... 5

Teaching to Learn .......................................................................................... 6

Parental involvement is key to education - Sampurna Chanara’s story ............................................................................ 7

Creativity to enhance education - Urmila BK’s story ..................................... 8

Education is a parent’s responsibility - Jay Bahadur Pun’s story.................. 9

There are many barriers to education for girls in Nepal, from poverty, to social and cultural traditions that prevent them from attending school. In rural Nepal, VSO’s Sisters for Sisters programme places older ‘big sisters’ from the community as role models for ‘little sisters’ who are at risk of dropping out. Adult champions then help those older girls mentor the younger ones.

These are their stories.

Sisters for Sisters’ Education in Nepal

2

Breaking the language barrier to get an education – Bhawani Paswan’s story

‘Little sister’ Bhawani Paswan managed to overcome not understanding the language her lessons were taught in and escaped early marriage to become successful at school.

When other girls were sent to get married an early age, Bhawani stayed in school to pursue her education.

That’s thanks to her ‘big sister’, Rubi Kumari, who is also a neighbour.

In grade five, Bhawani was shy and a slow learner. At times she could not understand what was being taught in class at all because she only understood Bhojpuri – a different dialect.

Rubi visited her in the evenings to help her with her studies and gain the confidence to speak in class, helping Bhawani learn to talk

happily with anyone in and outside her school. If she has a question now she’ll stand up in her classroom to ask her teacher, and she can also now read and write in Nepali and English.

This could have been a very different story. In early 2016 Bhawani was almost married to a man 13 years her senior.

Only the intervention of her ‘big sister’ and ‘aunty champion’ was able to stop the marriage. The groom’s family demanded a lot of dowry and didn’t want Bhawani to go to school. Together, the ‘sister’ and ‘aunty’ double act brought in the police to stop the marriage. Rubi even recruited the help of her own father to stop the marriage successfully.

Bhawani is really happy that she was saved from marrying early and can continue to go to school. She is now passing her exams and in future she hopes to be a teacher and work in her own community.

Bhawani Paswan

3

Tika, mother of ‘little sister’ Gauri, sees her dreams of being educated fulfilled in her daughter and supports her to be successful at school. Gauri’s mother, Tika, doesn’t want

to ruin her daughter’s life by

getting her married at an early

age. While her brothers went to

school she had to stay home to do

house chores causing her to finish

only grade 3. At 15, she was

married and was not able to

continue her schooling.

Gauri is __ and did not attend

school regularly. Most of her

friends are married.

Tika is happy that her daughter was chosen to be one of the little sisters. With the support of the project especially the big sisters, Tika sees a change in her daughter’s attitude. “Before she did not want to go to school.” With the activities with the big sisters, Gauri is now happy to go to school and knows the importance of learning.

Tika sees hope in her daughter and wants her daughter to be a dancer and create her own identity.

Tika BK and daughter, Gauri

Supporting my daughter’s education – Tika BK’s story

4

‘Little sister’ Anisha Sharma is now in her adolescences. She breaks tradition to continue her education.

According to Hindu tradition, women and girls are isolated from their

home and not allowed to see male members of their family while they

are menstruating. They are considered impure and called ‘untouchable’.

For girls going to school, this means being absent from class for at least

four days a month.

Anisha Sharma, now aged 13, was able to break

this tradition. Her parents did not follow the

ritual of isolating her from the family and

allowed her to continue going to school during

her periods. She has now become a role model

among her friends by coming to school even

during her period.

Her father, a teacher where she studies, believes

that girls should not be stopped from attending

school just because of tradition.

Breaking tradition for education – Anisha Sharma’s story

Anisha Sharma

5

‘Auntie’, Mali Devi Shah breaks tradition of using the veil to help girls in her community continue their education. Mala Devi Shah was in grade 10 when she got married at the age of 15 . As an ‘Auntie’, Mala assists Big Sisters in guiding and mentoring Little Sisters in her community.

In her community, married women must wear veils to cover their faces and are not allowed to go out of their home. Before being an Auntie, Mala could not even talk with her own family members. (How was she chosen?)

With the training provided by the project and guidance provided by Community Mobilisers, she is now confident to convince families of Little Sisters to send their daughters to school. She is able to persuade parents not to get their daughters married at an early age.

By being an Auntie, she is one of the very few women who has been able to break the tradition of wearing the veil. She now actively works in her community advocating for girls to go to school.

Unveiling for education – Mala Devi Shah’s story

Mala Devi Shah

6

Poverty, parental attitude towards education, ineffective teaching methodologies, unclear management systems, and poor infrastructure are just a few of the barriers preventing children from going to school. In Midwest Nepal, VSO’s Teaching to Learn project addresses these barriers by ensuring quality teaching and creating learning environments for early grade literacy and numeracy program.

Here are stories how the project has contributed in changing the lives of people.

Teaching to Learn

7

Parental involvement is key to education - Sampurna Chanara’s story

Sampurna Chanara’s parents learn the importance of education and encourages him to go to school.

Ten year old Sampurna, studies in grade five at Shree Dipendra Primary School, Rawatgaun, Jajarkot. Sampurna did not go to school regularly and mostly left early before classes finished. His parents are illiterate and did not bother much about his education. As a result of this, Sampurna raised cattle and was also more focused in doing household chores and helping his family. This ultimately led to his loss of interest towards education and reluctance to participate in any activities organized in school.

During the course of project implementation, Sampurna’s parents attended parental awareness raising workshops and Community Education Campaign Committee (CECC) meetings. These activities highlighted the importance of education and responsibility of parents towards promoting a reading culture at school and at home.

Learning about the importance of education from the meetings, Sampurna’s parents encouraged their son to go to school and study. Sampurna now goes to school regularly and also participates in extracurricular activities. He does his homework regularly and pays more attention towards his studies than the household chores. He presents his queries in front of teachers in classroom. Teacher Balram Shah stated "Sampurna stands as the most regular child in school among others from Kolchaur tole". He also said that Sampurna was not a diligent student before but now stands in second position in his class. His parents are very happy about his success.

Sampurna Charna

8

Urmila KB was able to express her creativity by creating a wall paper magazine which helped her education. Urmila BK is a grade three student of Shree Hanuman Primary School. In 2014, when she was in grade, Urmila was not doing well in her studies. She did not attend school regularly coming to school once or twice a week. She did not obey her teachers and also did not maintain good personal hygiene. During project implementation, extracurricular

activities were organized for children in her school. One activity was creating wall magazines that were published.

The Community Mobilizer and Classroom Assistant encouraged Urmila to bring out her creativeness for a wall magazine. They motivated her to read books during leisure time. They also met with her parents to convince them to create a reading corner in their house. During vacation, the Classroom Assistant gathered Urmila and other children and helped them

with their homework. Urmila now goes to school regularly, maintains personal hygiene, actively takes part in extracurricular activities and does her homework regularly. She now is able to identify letters and read books.

Creativity to enhance education - Urmila BK’s story

Urmila BK

9

Parents and community help make their school become an enabling environment to children to learn.

Bheri Triveni Secondary School lies at the confluence of Thulo Bheri and Sano Bheri rivers in Khalanga- 8, Rimnaghat, Jajarkot. (What is the state of the school?)

Parents of children in school catchment area were not aware about the educational needs of their children before project started in 2014. They thought that their responsibility was merely sending their children to school. They showed indifference and ignorance towards their children’s needs and learning achievement.

Community Mobilizers along with members of the Community Education Campaign Committee (CECC) and Classroom Assistants oriented school staff and parents how on promoting reading culture in the community. They organized door-to-door campaigns and discussed with parents to make them aware about the importance of education and the role they can play to promote education of their children.

Knowing that they are responsible in enhancing their children’s learning, parents started developing ’no cost, low cost’ educational materials to assist the teachers and students in their teaching and learning activities. Jay Bahadur Pun, secretary of CECC in his community, serves as a role model for other parents. He made educational materials and provided them to the school. He also created a reading space for his children equipped with a table, alphabet and number chart. He also goes to school to know how his children are doing.

Education is a parent’s responsibility - Jay Bahadur Pun’s story

Teaching materials made by Jay Bahadur Pun

For more information please contact:

VSO Nepal Sanepa,Lalitpur

P.O. Box 207 +977-1-5547469 (tel)/ 5524743 (fax)

www.vsointernational.org

For more information please contact:

VSO Nepal Sanepa,Lalitpur

P.O. Box 207 +977-1-5547469 (tel)/ 5524743 (fax)

www.vsointernational.org