Orphan Children Scholarship Program in Nepal

The recent earthquake in Nepal has rendered many children orphans; the exact number is yet to be established but it is estimated that around 125 children have lost at least one of their parents. Most orphan children are from rual villages with no means of support system left for them. Even in a normal situation, children living in rural Nepal face numerous difficulties having to help their guardians with household works, farming, cattle rearing, etc[i]. Having to share these responsibilities, education gets lesser priority and school enrolment rates among poor rural children are lower when compared with rich urban areas; 59% against 94%[ii]. Furthermore, the same reasons lead to higher school dropouts among rural children in Nepal than in urban areas[iii]; secondary level school attendance among poor rural children is 15% as compared to 57% among urban rich.

Children living in rural districts in Nepal are vulnerable to various forms of abuses[iv]. The earthquake and their orphan status had snatched away their basic protection mechanisms. They are prone to various forms of child exploitations and abuses including child labour, child marriage and involvement in risky and harmful behaviours like drugs, alcohol and trans-border child trafficking. As a measure to educate and empower these orphans, the Punya Foundation, which has been actively involved in the education of vulnerable children[v], seeks to assist these orphans to attain at least year 1o of education through provision of scholarships. These orphans will be enrolled in public schools and paid for their school fees, school uniform and stationeries.

Aim of the Program

To empower the children living in the earthquake hit districts in Nepal through provision of scholarships for their education and to help them become independent.

Program Objectives

1. To provide scholarships to the orphan children living in the earthquake hit districts in Nepal till they complete year 10 of education
2. To enable children to go to schools by providing basic necessities like stationaries and uniform
3. To provide psychological counseling to orphan children, if needed, to cope with the experienced trauma and to facilitate continuing with their schooling
4. To prevent the orphan children from getting exploited from physical labour, from becoming domestic workers, maidservants and from trafficking for sex trade

Target beneficiaries

1. Orphan school age children, from the identified 5 earthquake-hit districts in Nepal
2. Orphan children yet to be enrolled or attending public schools from nursery to year 10
3. All ethnic and indigenous groups, provided they meet inclusion criteria

Appeal

In 2015, to send a child to a primary school run by a public sector in Nepal costs approximately 10,200 NRS (±100 USD) per annum. The Foundation would like to ask for your generous support to assist orphan children in Nepal to go to schools. Together we will be able to make differences in lives of children who have lost their parents during the recent earthquake. Please join your hands and let us give future to orphan children in Nepal!

References:

[i] The World Bank, 2014, Giving Nepal’s Poorest Kids a Healthy Start.

[ii] Huebler F., 2007, Primary and secondary school attendance in Nepal, available http://huebler.blogspot.nl/2007/04/primary-and-secondary-school-attendance.html

[iii] UNICEF, 2015, Nepal Earthquake: Education for nearly 1 million children in jeopardy – UNICEF, available http://www.unicef.org/media/media_81802.htm

[iv] National Human Rights Commission, 2012, Trafficking in person, especially on women and children in Nepal, NHRC Publication 162

[v] Annual Reports of the Punya Foundation, year 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, available: https://www.punyafoundation.org/category/year-report/english-year-report/