Nepal Scholarship Review - 2009

We (Akiko and Kit Kitatani) conducted a review of our scholarship program in Nepal from 13th to 25th January 2009 in order to assess its validity and to learn lessons, if any, for better operations.

There are 15 students in the Dang District receiving our support through the Sister Home (Chairperson: Ms. Sayni Chaudhary) and seven through Mr. K. Kakimi (O.K. Baji) in the Palpa District.

Sister Home
We first visited the students in the Dang District, which shares its boarder with India in the plain. The students are all from poverty stricken landless families, belonging to the Tharu minority, scattered around in remote parts of the country. They would be unable to go to school without our scholarships.

The Sister Home has a 10-room building which functions as a dormitory for the scholarship recipients and offers a computer course and a sewing course. The students attend their colleges and high schools located in the city from this dormitory.

Applications are invited from girls interested in pursuing studies at high school and college levels. Each student receives Rp.1,500 a month, which covers the tuition and other necessary expenses.

The Sister Home also runs a small private school in a village nearby to accommodate 200 small children who are unable to attend public schools for lack of money. It used to distribute stationery to 35 orphans with a support of $1,000 from an American lady. However, this particular source of support was discontinued as of this year. The Sister Home therefore has to look for a new donor.

The schooling system in Nepal is as follows:

Elementary school - 5 to 9 year olds
Middle school - 10 to 17 year olds
High school - 18 to 19 year olds
College - 3 years thereafter

We interviewed 14 of the 15 scholarship recipients as one student was sick in bed.

See Scholarship Recipients from Nepal

Sister Home Boarding School
Sister Home runs a private elementary school called Sister Home Boarding School in a village approximately 10 miles away from Tulsipur. It accommodates 200 out of 550 children who are unable to attend school. The school consists of two farm houses, and the children are crammed into small class rooms. Sister Home is looking for some donors so that all 550 children may be accommodated in an appropriate school building to be built. The amount of donation funding they seek is $8,000.

Tansen
We then moved to a city in the mountains called Tansen, where we interviewed 5 scholarship recipients looked after by Mr. Kazumasa Kakimi who is known locally as O.K. Baji.

We support O.K. Baji's efforts to promote education among poor villagers by donating $600 annually. He mobilizes local youth groups, women's associations and village school councils to operate Micro-Credit schemes utilizing funds he collects from Japan. The interest earned is used to finance the education of children from poor families. He thus encourages local people to be independent financially and spiritually.

We were able to interview five students in the city of Tansen. O.K. Baji collected them from various parts of the district for our interviews. The students were accompanied by their school heads who wanted to convey their gratitude for our assistance. All of them equally mentioned that the students would not find it possible to pursue their studies without our support and that the students were now being considered by the villagers as shining examples of fortitude and good luck.

See Scholarship Recipients from Nepal

Visiting Hari Maya Bimar
We visited Hari Maya Bimar in Pokhara. She was the first student to receive one of our scholarships. She graduated from her university 3 years ago. After having a short stint as a computer teacher and also a researcher at a local radio station in Tansen, she moved to Pokhara to be married. She now works at the City Office. She is happily married and has a three year old daughter. She is now saving for her MA studies. Her wish is to be of help to those who are deprived and poor.

Her husband was grateful for the support she received from our scholarship program through O.K. Baji. Hari Maya is the first woman from her district to receive a college education and is regarded as a shining example for young girls who aspire to get out of poverty.

Conclusion
What struck us most this time is that the girls receiving our support are gaining the necessary confidence and now have dreams for their own lives in a society where girls are not "counted." They now have an opportunity to join development efforts and to become shining examples of success. It also impresses everyone how important education is and how it can change a person. Some 15 students have already graduated from colleges, and all of them are making positive contributions which they could never hoped to make before receiving our scholarships.

The support we get from our membership as well as from the Nikko Mining Company in Japan makes this wonderful miracle happen, and we are deeply indebted to them. We offer our heartfelt and profound gratitude to all the donors/supporters and at the same time pray for their continued support.

We are now organizing a fund-raising campaign to raise $10,000 to help Sister Home build a school building for children from very poor families and to continue to provide stationery to orphans. Any contribution amount you may wish to give in this regard will be highly appreciated.

Please send your tax-deductible contribution to:

WIN International, Inc.
P.O. Box 3867
New York, NY 10163-3867