Each year Punya Foundation coordinates with local Nepali organizations to implement its empowerment program. Similar to past years, this year also the Punya Foundation worked with Jana Kalyan Yuwa Samuha (JKYS), a nonprofit organization in the Jhapa district of eastern Nepal, to implement the scholarship program and Women’s Empowerment Program.
Scholarship selection process: As in 2013, the Foundation conducted a series of communications including video and audio conference calls with the JKYS to evaluate the program for the year2014, to work on challenges and to give continuity to establish project implementation modalities. To implement the scholarship program, the Foundation and the JKYS worked together to form a project team which consisted of the following members:
- Mrs. Indira Poudel, Chairman, JKYS, Coordinator project team
- Mr. Somnath Thapaliya, schoolteacher
- Mr. Poshakraj Bhattarai, volunteer
- Mr. Prakash Neupane, member village development committee
- Mrs. Pushpa Kafley, teacher adult education program and
- Mrs. Puja Karki, social worker
Implementation, monitoring and evaluation: The project team was involved in the selection of students and implementation of the scholarship program. For effective implementation of the project and timely identification of challenges and bottlenecks, the project team appointed Mrs. Gita Bhattarai, a local schoolteacher as the student counselor for the scholarship recipients.
The JKYS monitors the scholarship program. In 2014, the project team conducted a minimum of one house visit per student studying under the scholarship program to explore the impact of scholarship on academic performances of children. Similarly, the project team discussed twice during the academic year with the school head teacher and the student counselor on progress made by the recipients. The JKYS submitted 2 progress reports to the Foundation based on discussion with the head teacher and student counselor and their findings on house visits. In November 2014, as an external audit, the Executive Director of the Foundation randomly selected parents of two students and communicated over telephone to verify the evidences submitted.
Based on the progress made by the students, satisfactory implementation of the project and enormous relief and gratefulness expressed by the parents of the students; the Foundation, the JKYS and the project team decided to renew the scholarships of all seven Nepali students who are under the scholarship program. Owing to financial limitations, the Foundation informed the implementing partner that it is not able to provide additional scholarships for new students despite dire needs.