NEST Activities
Child Clubs
NEST has run five child clubs in different schools in Makawanpur: Dibya Jyoti Lower Secondary School, Hatiya, Sarada Primary School, Bansha Gopal Higher Secondary School, Jana Priya Secondary School, and Prajwal Shiksha Sadan.
The
aim of these clubs is to advocate child rights and train children to maintain
harmony and peace in society, and promote leadership and democratic practice.
The child clubs organize different activities in their schools. Raising awareness on environment, health and sanitation in addition to advocating child rights are some of the activities they carry out. They manage libraries in the school and take part in sports and extracurricular activities. Child clubs have proved to be a forum for all children to share their experiences.
Every weekend, the child clubs organize various extracurricular activities such as quiz contests, and oratory or essay competitions.
International Council for Friends of Nepal (ICFON), the Netherlands has been supporting this programme.
Mobile Child Libraries
In Nepal many children cannot afford books so reading books other than their text books becomes a dream. NEST has been running five mobile children libraries in different schools as a pilot programme. It has been almost a year now and NEST is carrying out its evaluation and impact in the students. The students pay NRs. 1 or 2 per month (about 2 US cents) to join the library, these students are allowed to borrow books from the library for three days. However, the poor children are considered to have this access free of cost. Every three months, the books are swapped among these schools. Each school has got different titles of the books. This programme has been sponsored by ICFON.
School Library Programme
NEST
has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Room to Read to run
school library programme in Makawanpur district. Unlike the mobile library
programme, the books are donated to the schools. Room to Read provides books
free of cost to the schools which do not have library facilities and are ready
to allocate one room as a library room furnished with basic furniture.
Under this programme, NEST has already distributed books to ten schools.
NEST Children's Library
NEST has set up a children's library in downtown Hetauda. It is the only community-based library for children in the town. This library is open six days a week and allows its members to borrow books on loan. In addition to lending books, the library provides its members an opportunity to meet new friends and participate in a range of creative activities on Fridays.
Teacher Training
NEST
offers teacher training courses on ECD, Primary Education in different subjects.
NEST encourages local teachers to use teaching materials in the classroom.
Teaching Materials Development
With the funding of VSO Nepal, a set of teachers' guides on optional English of Grade one to five have prepared. These teachers' guides include flash cards, cassettes and a pronunciation guide. The guides are available in English and Nepali. VSO volunteers Martin and Alexandra Spenser from Mukesh Thapa, and Purna Kumar Shrestha, the Executive Director of NEST, were involved in this production. NEST is going to publish these teachers' guides
Children in Crisis Support Programme
Many children in Nepal are living in vulnerable condition because of poverty, natural disaster and conflict. They have lost their parents and are deprived of basic rights to education, shelter and health. Considering this, NEST started a special programme to support the children in crisis.
Under this programme, 225 children who were victimized by floods and landslides last summer have been supported with books, copies, pencils, uniforms and bags. The children who were supported are primarily from Praja and Tamang community. Many children who received NEST support were about to give up their study due to a lack of books and copies to write.
NEST supports handicapped and disabled children with their education.
Goats for Education: In association with ICFON, the Netherlands, NEST is launching an income generation programme for students who have received NEST scholarships and sponsorships. Ten families have received a goat each. It is hoped that in two years time, this would generate money to support their children's education. Girls from secondary schools will involve themselves in economic activities which will ultimately help them to be self reliant.
Paintings for Education
NEST supports children who are good at painting but financially poor to continue their study by buying their paintings. They also receive training in painting by professional artists to raise the standard of their work.
This programme has been run in collaboration with Makawanpur Fine Art Association. Mr. Ram Krishna Thapa, a popular fine artist, has offered the students a painting course.
Buying a painting is not only for pleasure, but you are supporting a child to educate. Please buy a painting made by these students!
Scholarships
With your kind donations, NEST has been able to provide scholarships to 30 children: 24 in Prajwal Shiksha Sadan English School, Bansha Gopal Higher Secondary School and Dibya Jyoti Lower Secondary School Chuchekhola. This year, ten more girls will receive the scholarship to study in grade 6 in the community schools and fifteen children will get free scholarship in the Prajwal Shiksha Sadan, Chaughada. Thanks to our sponsors at ICFON, and Everest of Apples for your kind donations!
Inter Secondary School Level Folk Dance Competition
In order to preserve indigenous culture of Nepal and raise awareness of own culture and tradition, NEST has started an Inter-Secondary School Level NEST Running Shield Folk Dance Competition. Every year the competition will be held on 20th November to observe the international child right day.
Last year Gyanodoya Bal Batika of Hetauda won the running shield. The competition was held at Palpasa Hall in Hetauda. On the same occasion, a poster and book exhibition on child rights, education and environment was organized. The posters and publication were kindly donated by UNICEF, CWIN, ICIMOD and ILO.
Educational Exchange Programme
With the view of promoting talent, creativity and potential, NEST has been organizing different educational exchange programmes.
NEST organized two painting competitions in the past and the top ten paintings were sent to the Netherlands to display in Dutch schools.
The painting competition was organized on the occasion of national unity day. There were 68 participants in the competition. The students were from three levels: primary, lower secondary and secondary. The children of primary level drew the pictures that they liked to. A theme was given to the lower Secondary students: "Today's Need: National unity." The students from secondary level painted on the theme "Peace and development."
A pen-friend programme with Japanese students has been running successfully for four months. Students from fifteen different schools of Hetauda and Kirtipur have participated in this programme. Of the fifty-two participants, forty are girls. Students write about their schoolwork and other anecdotes.