Tag: nutrition
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.