Tag: education
Two Community Learning Centers inaugurated!
On September 25, 2024, NYF officially inaugurated two new Community Learning Centers (CLC) in Saptari District as part of our Caste Equality Project. These centers will serve as vital hubs for children and adults in their respective villages with a wide range of programming available. Programs include afterschool tutoring, childcare, early childhood education, adult literacy & skills training, and more.
We’ve already started operating out of these two centers, and we have plans to build three additional spaces in villages throughout Saptari District.
The inside of the centers include teaching and meeting spaces, furnished kitchens, up-to-date restrooms, and offices. Each center will be located a safe walking distance from children’s homes. This allows even very small kids to arrive safely without danger from wildlife, monsoon rains, or summer heat. Best of all, staff members will be hired and trained from within each local village, building upon existing expertise and strengthening community bonds.
Taking the name “Happiness Community Center”, the two newly-inaugurated spaces celebrate the positive impact it will make in the village. We’re so grateful to those in the NYF Community for helping to make this possible!
(We hope you enjoy this short video that recaps this very special inauguration day.)
Programs have started in the Community Learning Centers!
Our Peer Counseling Program, which launched in the spring of 2024, is now fully operating out of the Community Learning Centers. In April, 30 young women (aged 13-19) from Tirhut Municipality traveled to Kathmandu to receive peer counseling training at Ankur Counseling Center. Now, these trained women are leading monthly support groups with 70 attendees (so far!)!
Reliable Childcare & Early Childhood Education
These two Community Learning Centers offer play-based & educational Early Childhood Care all day to toddlers under the age of 3.5. This empowers parents, particularly moms, to access stable job opportunities, allowing them to nourish their children, to save and invest in the future, and to participate more actively in their communities. While parents work, preschoolers spend their days in a safe, social, learning-rich environment provided by local experts trained by NYF. This also benefits older sisters who often miss class to provide childcare, allowing girls to stay in school, too.
After-School Tutoring & Bridging Courses
Older students who visit the centers can receive after-school homework help and tutoring. Those who wish to re-enter school after a long gap can receive special “bridging courses.” This would help them catch up to their peers and thrive in school. Bridging courses provide a rapid foundation in mathematics, Nepali, English, science, social studies, and health sciences, all based on the government curriculum for each grade.
Nutritious Meals
Children receive hot, nutritious meals prepared on-site using proven Nutritional Rehabilitation Home principles. This ensures local kids receive at least one nutrient-rich meal per day.
Other CEP programs planned for these spaces include:
- Adult Literacy Classes (covering reading, home finance, and legal literacy).
- Town meetings where teachers, parents, and local leaders build community-wide, unified strategies.
- Nutrition-focused home cooking classes for mothers, applying NRH principles.
- Disaster preparedness programs.
- Peer counseling and support groups (these are already underway).
- Women’s empowerment and co-op groups.
- Teacher training.
NYF Launches Phase I of Caste Equality Project: Educating Dalit Lawyers
We are so thrilled to officially announce the launch of Educating Dalit Lawyers (EDL), the first phase of NYF’s Caste Equality Project! Educating Dalit Lawyers is an enriched law school scholarship for graduating Dalit high schoolers aiming to become human rights lawyers.
In partnership with Dignity Initiative, a Dalit-led NGO based in Kathmandu, NYF will provide incoming law school students with full-ride scholarships through five years of law school at some of Nepal’s best colleges. We’re also excited to provide accommodation and food stipends; extracurricular, mentorship, and leadership opportunities; and internship placement support.
As of now, we have received over 100 applications from hopeful students from all seven of Nepal’s provinces. Applicants come from a strong mix of male and female candidates, with individuals coming from a wide variety of Dalit subcastes.
Our team will select 20 students who will come to Kathmandu to prepare to take Nepal’s rigorous law school entrance exam. The top 15 students will receive the full scholarship.
Your Support
Join us in launching NYF’s most daring program yet! NYF is currently raising funds in support of Educating Dalit Lawyers. One year of support for each student in this program costs approximately $4,000. To support these determined students, please donate now.
Timeline
July 2022 – Testing Prep
20 promising students are selected from applicants from all over Nepal and brought to Kathmandu to attend prep classes for the competitive law school entrance test. All expenses are paid.
Aug. 2022 – Law School Entrance Exams
Sept. 2022 – Selection & Mentorship
The top 15 students are selected for the full 5-year scholarship. As they receive acceptance notification from law schools, NYF facilitates housing, enrollment, and other logistical matters. Courses begin. Each student is matched with a human rights lawyer mentor.
Winter 2022 – First Semester!
As classes get underway, NYF works with Dignity Initiative to organize special program features like advocacy trainings, leadership activities, workshops, celebrations, and more. These activities dovetail with law school, enhancing it without interrupting it.
Spring 2023 – A New Start
NYF releases the 2nd year’s call for applications across the country, committing to select an additional 15 law school students.
Summer 2023 – First Annual Dalit Law School Student Conference
NYF, Dignity Initiative, and our scholarship recipients hold a networking conference for Dalit law school students across Kathmandu, creating an opportunity to make connections, present learnings, share personal stories, and more while practicing skills like public speaking.
2027 – Graduation & the Bar Exam
NYF’s first group of 15 lawyers completes their final year of law school. Each graduate is matched with a paying internship opportunity at a local law firm, allowing them to gain experience while preparing for Nepal’s Bar Exam. NYF also provides community-based legal awareness workshops, including fieldwork in Dalit communities experiencing significant hardship. NYF funds all expenses associated with preparing for and taking the Bar Exam at the end of this period.
Spring 2028 – First Graduates Now Practicing Law!