Nepal's capital Kathmandu is a city of contrasts. Home to one and a half million people covering three districts, progress is concentrated in the city-centre while the fringes suffer from evident underdevelopment and illiteracy.

Changu Narayan Village, 20 kilometres east of Kathmandu in Bhaktapur district, is an example of these contrasts that speaks volumes on the difficulties facing young girls.

Girls in Nepal are almost always subject to the decisions parents make, and are often deprived of any say in such matters. Many young girls in Changu Narayan, 20 km. east of Kathmandu have no opportunity to study at school and gain the benefits of a learning and growing environment.  

Girls leave school to marry early, help their mothers raise younger children, contribute to the economy of the household, assist in household chores, or simply through lack of aspiration. Girls are frequently caught in a generational cycle - illiteracy in their parents combined with deep-rooted gender inequality.

Different girls, same story

• Sharmila, 14, dropped out of school a year ago, after studying till the fifth grade, to help with household chores while her parents work in the fields and till other people's land. She says, '' I don't like to do household chores, I prefer to study."
• Ita, 15, quit her studies after studying till grade three. She had no one to inspire her, as both her parents are illiterate. Her elder sister married early. Her mother feels it is now her turn and says, "After marriage, if her husband permits, she can choose to study." Ita spends most of her time looking after her brother's young son, of whom she is very fond.
• Ruku Maya, 14, studied till grade five and then eventually dropped out as her parents couldn't afford to pay her admission fees, which is minimal. She says, "My parents couldn't afford to send me back to school but I wish to rejoin school someday."
• Jyoti Maya, 13, had to leave school to join her parents in the fields. She says, with much hesitation, " I would like to be a teacher one day." She enjoys being with friends and playing in school but simply doesn't find the time because her parents require her help in the fields. Her mother leaves her with little choice but to join in the daily routine of going to tend landowners' fields.

Girls Education Project sees results
Following the inception of the Girls Education Project in Bhaktapur ADP, almost a year ago, many young girls at risk of losing their right to education have been encouraged to stay in school.  

The objective of the project is to help vulnerable girls who are at risk of dropping out to remain in school and send those who have dropped out back to school. A number of activities are being run in coordination with local partners to meet the objective and goals of the project - for instance, parent/child counselling; awareness activities such as street drama, folk singing competitions; teachers' training in child- centred education; income- generating activities for parents; training for girls on children's and women's rights, and skills development activities.

Pancha Narayan Bhadel, Principal of Dolagiri Secondary School in Changu Narayan VDC, who is also involved in getting his school teachers trained in child-centred education, says that the project has already begun to show good results.

"With teachers learning to impart child-centred education, we have students, especially girls, coming back to school even after getting married and failing a grade. We have also been counselling parents to postpone marriages of young girls and so far I am happy we managed to delay the marriage of a girl in this school who is in the ninth grade." he says.

"Till last year," he adds, "we had a drop out rate of 15 %, but after the initiation of the Girl Education Project, the drop out rate has significantly reduced to 5%."  

World Vision has also been supporting his school and many other schools in Bhaktapur district with enhanced classroom facilities, water and sanitation facilities, and in the development of school improvement plans. Being a local in the community of Changu Narayan VDC, Pancha Narayan has also seen many changes following the arrival of World Vision six years ago.

"I have seen better changes in the community among the ethnic caste of Tamangs, who failed to recognise the importance of education until recent times. I think World Vision is making a difference in their lives."

Ita, Ruku Maya and Jyoti Maya were registered as World Vision sponsored children at the end of 2001 along with many other children in the community of Changu Narayan VDC. Since then, their community has received continuous support in the area of development from World Vision.

Teachers from 28 schools in five VDCs, including Changu Narayan, where the Girl Education Project is underway, have been receiving training in child-centred education through a local partner namely Rato Bangala Foundation with the support of World Vision. The hope is that child- friendly teaching, the key to generating interest among children to continue their schooling, will encourage more girls to stay.

Girls study, parents earn
Sharmila and many girls like her have enrolled themselves in skills development activities, including sewing and non-formal education classes in the evenings, as well as other activities while they wait to get back to school. Sharmila is happy that she is learning some skills despite being unable to go to school till her family's income improves.

She says, '' We learn all subjects like Math, Sciences in rotation everyday for two hours, six times a week in the non-formal education classes. I look forward to this every evening."

Jagam Maya Tamang, a local Field Motivator of a partner organisation, is happy to assist girls who have dropped out of school, to receive skills and counselling. She is surprised at the enthusiasm of young girls like Sharmila and Ita to attend sewing classes in their free time.

She says, "More than parents, young girls who have dropped out of school are actively engaged in most of our activities. Parents are mostly irregular in attending our trainings. They find a lot of excuses not to come."

Training in income-generating activities such as goat rearing, cultivation of off-season vegetables/fruits, and production of organic fertilizers, is also given to the largely agricultural community of Changu Narayan VDC. These activities are designed to generate more income in families so that they can finance their daughter's education.

Purushottam Maskey, Community Development Facilitator for World Vision, and focal person for the Girl Education Project, is optimistic at the results that are visible within a short span of time.

"With World Vision supporting awareness programmes like folk singing competitions, street dramas and gender training for girls, parents and grandparents in the village have started to realise the importance of educating girls. We have also initiated a process of requesting local schools we support in Bhaktapur district to re-enrol girls who have dropped out due to financial crisis, through scholarships, in collaboration with our local partner and the District Education Office."

World Vision is also supporting home-to-home visits every month to counsel parents who have kept their daughters away from school.  These visits have been successful in convincing parents of the importance of girls going back to school.

To date, 48 girls, with willing permission of their parents, have shown readiness to rejoin school at the start of this academic year (April '08). They will be admitted according to availability of seats in the local schools' scholarship provision.

Madan Maya Tamang, mother of Ruku Maya, is pleased that World Vision is helping in developing her community. She stays home to carry out daily household chores and collects firewood in the daytime. She also has a four year old son who goes to the nearby early childhood centre, supported by World Vision. Her husband, a farmer, received training in production of organic fertilizers as a part of the income- generating activity.

Uneducated herself, Madan Maya still understands the value of education, and hopes that improved financial status will mean Ruku Maya can return to school

She says, "We didn't have to pay much for Ruku's education at primary level, but now we cannot afford to send her to school since our economic condition is not good, If it improves I would like to send her to school. "