Supporting Kids in Day School in Rural Villages and Kathmandu

Rural Villages

Although 70% of Nepali children enroll in primary school, many of them drop out before the fifth grade. In the rural areas where we work, the dropout rate is very high. Often, a family simply can't afford the cost of the school uniform and school supplies, or even the very small school fee.

In several rural districts in Nepal, the Nepal Youth Foundation scholarships to thousands of children to cover their school expenses. This is the first generation in most of these areas to receive an education. The cost – about $100 a year per child – is an incredible investment. An education will best prepare these youngsters for the very difficult future that awaits them, since an increasing number of the next generation in Nepal's overpopulated hills will inherit no land and will have no choice but to find their fortune in the cities.

We've seen some interesting ripple effects from this program. Our scholarships motivate parents other than those whose children we support to send their children to school, too. There is social pressure in the village when some kids go to school and others do not. (Keeping up with the Joneses, Nepali style.) Some parents hope that their children will also be sponsored if they start school. Headmasters tell us that there are noticeable rises in general attendance after we bring our scholarship program to their schools.

Our field workers visit the schools regularly to check on the children and to see how the school is functioning. To do the job, they walk the mountain paths of isolated rural areas, sometimes ten hours a day, stopping at various village schools along the way to survey the situation and discuss problems with the headmasters and students.

A super-generous donor is supporting the education of 400 girls in rural areas of Nepal for five years. Most of these are from the Dalit (untouchable) community. The members of these low castes are among the most downtrodden people in the world. NYF supports children until they can support themselves. After they graduate from high school, we provide them with college scholarships or vocational training.

We have asked some of the girls we support in rural schools to write about their lives and ambitions. Pushpa, a student in class five writes, “Despite the … adversities, I am not hopeless… I am studying hard because I am determined to become a nurse and take care of the poor.” To read more of Pushpa’s story, please click here. Kamala, who is in the 8th grade says: “After getting this scholarship I have been able to go to school regularly and keep myself neat and clean.” And Menuka writes, “I am happy that this scholarship has provided an opportunity for us to get education on an equitable basis with other rich and high class people. We can also become a renowned person if we get equal access of education.”

Day school in Kathmandu

Everywhere in the world, parents want their children to "make good," to be more successful than Mom and Dad. Where Mom and Dad never received much education, they desire it fiercely for their children. Poor families in Kathmandu are no exception, but often they can't scrape together the small amount it takes to send their children to school, especially for a daughter. NYF makes their dream of an education for their children come true. Because family is everything in Nepal and separation from the family is so traumatic, we try to leave children at home whenever possible. It is better for the child emotionally, and much less expensive. If the conditions at home are satisfactory but the parents cannot afford to pay school expenses, we provide scholarships for children while they live at home and attend local schools. This means that we pay for school uniforms, school fees and supplies, a book bag, and in some cases private tutoring. Parents who can help defray school costs are asked to do so, no matter how small the amount, so that they have a greater stake in the child’s education. NYF supports 180 children in this program.


One student we have been supporting through grade school is Sita. She is passionately committed to the welfare of Nepalese society and plans to become a doctor to help the poor in remote areas of the country. Read Sita's story in her own words. There are many stories like Sita's among our scholarship students.

Learn about the wide range of options for sponsoring students