IYH STRATEGIC UPDATE 2016

IYH  - STRATEGIC UPDATE DECEMBER 2016

We do not want to just build schools. We want to build communities that are healthy and believe in education.  We want the communities to have pride in the schools built for their children and encourage them to embrace the benefits of education. We also want the communities to benefit from the health and wellbeing opportunities being offered by our partners as part of our strategy

Over the last year we have been working closely with The Mandala Organisation (TMO). They have been at the coal face organizing the building and repairs of our schools. We have learnt so much and are now in contact with more teams and individuals who have offered expertise and support. We have developed partnerships with them and they are part of our strategy moving forward.

 STRATEGIC GOALS & SOLUTIONS

1)     Research shows if the schools are inspiring and useful to the local community, it will help them to respect education.

Solution 1: We build schools that look good, feel safe and can be used by the children and local community.

Solution 2: Each school ideally needs a school hall that can be used as a community hall which can also be used for a medical clinic which will be provided by our partners (see below)

2)      The children need to have pride in their school and their appearance so they have pride in themselves.

Solution 1: We intend to provide school uniforms that look smart and have a badge for each uniform that make them feel they "belong" to a team.

3)     The schools need to be clean, with good facilities that the school population and community need to respect and protect.

Solution 1: Annual repairs and paintwork.

Solution 2: We will include boy and girl toilets, play area and a community hall/school hall.

Solution 3: Provide school classrooms that have what they need to learn which must have proper white boards attached to the wall, book shelves, access to a computer with a projector, books and teaching aids.

4)     English: the quality of teaching needs to be good enough. We know that tourism is the biggest employer in Nepal and being able to speak English will help the children get a good job when they leave school.

Solution 1: Our Volunteer teacher program and links with International schools  (UK, Canada and Thailand) need to be fully supported.

Solution 2: Dinesh Gurung has just been hired by IYH to Coordinate English and IT at each of the schools. He started work on December 12, 2016. He will be an invaluable aid to our schools maximizing on their international support.

Solution 3: Jane Halsall (IYH Volunteer/Teaching Director) will be running a Teacher Training Course in February 2017 for the teachers at all the IYH schools

5)     Enabling the children to fully focus on their lessons – in particular ensuring they are not hungry at school so they can concentrate while they are there. This is currently only an issue at Gorkha

Solution: This is where our nutrition program for Gorkha comes in.  The approximate cost will be about £2,700/ £3000 per year to feed all 135 kids for the whole academic year.

6)     Enabling all of the girls to be able to attend school every week of the month. Girls are not allowed to attend school when they have a period.

Solution: partner with a group of women from Maiti Nepal who have been making cloth sanitary pads and are selling these packs. They will be working with us in our communities with a long term goal of the communities making their own.  

Summary of Vision for all schools:

1) Schools must look smart.

2) Schools are safe (earthquake proof)

3) Schools have enough classrooms

4) Schools have a hall that can be used by the community for social or community projects i.e. medical clinic

5) Schools have good toilets that are kept clean with separate areas for boys and girls, washbasins and clean running water and wash basins.

6) Schools have a safe play area

7) Classrooms have enough desks and chairs

8) Classrooms have a large whiteboard attached to the wall with the correct marker pens

9) Classrooms have book shelves and/or storage for teaching resources 

10) Classrooms have access to a laptop and projector

11) employ a local person to clean the school, especially the toilets regularly.

12) Each child should have a school uniform

13) Provide nutrition where needed

14) Provide female sanitary towel solution for all girls

VOLUNTEERS PROGRAMME

 We had our first three volunteer teachers in the autumn term of 2016. It was such a huge success and gave us so many insights. We placed all three at Gorkha as we are lucky enough to have the Equator Expeditions Resort offering food and accommodation. This is the easiest lifestyle option of the 6 schools but we thought we need to walk before we can run and throwing new volunteers into more remote situations would be naive. It was a good decision. We now know that if we have less able, or mature volunteers this would be a suitable location to volunteer from. More importantly we know what we need to do to get the international connection with linked schools and the real needs of the teaching staff in Nepal.

We intend to increase promotions for volunteers now we know more about who and where and what works. 

 

INTERNATIONAL LIASON OFFICER -DINESH GURUNG

Thanks to Naiara, our volunteer, we were introduced to Dinesh Gurung who helped at the schools as a translator and with the computer set-up. He became invaluable and we decided to offer him the role of IYH International Liaison Officer and Head of English and IT. Dinesh has worked abroad for 5 years and his English and personal skills are perfect for his role. He will be responsible for liaising with the linked schools and keeping them updated on progress through videos and stories from the children at each school. He will also be able to help the Nepalese teachers use the teaching aids that will be sent for use via powerpoint presentations etc. He will be key to every volunteer and of course and of course IYH Team UK.

 

TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM

Jane Halsall, has become key to our volunteer and teacher training program, to the extent she has an official title, IYH Director of Volunteers/Teaching. She has delivered two day training workshops to the volunteers before they go out to Nepal and is organising a workshop in Kathmandu for all the IYH Nepalese teachers in February. It is difficult to overstate the importance of this.

 

NEW PARTNERS – Rotary / Dr William Harkness /Maiti Nepal

Rotary Club in Canada approached us through Jan MacNeil with the offer to assist with education supplies, water/sanitation/, nutrition for the health and wellbeing projects which would include simple medical clinics for the children and wider community. Jan will be visiting Nepal and joining Jane and Jo to see the IYH projects first hand and to see where Rotary projects will work in partnership with IYH.

 

Dr. William Harkness is planning the medical side and will be in Nepal in April. William is exploring training on the ground via Swinfen Trust and Pahar Trust. He will determine equipment required but could include a generator and medical equipment. It would be linked to Doctors via Telemedicine.

 

Maiti Nepal is a charity which rescues women and helps to educate and re-integrate them back into society with support through education etc.  A group of women from Maiti Nepal have been making cloth sanitary pads that can washed and dried and reused.  Maiti Nepal are selling these packs.  This design can be replicated anywhere in the villages as long as they have access to the cloth. This is a longer term goal in our communities.

 .

 BREAKDOWN OF IYH SCHOOL PROJECTS TO DATE:

Six schools currently being built/repaired with view to completion of them all by February 2017:

Primary students 200+135+135+ 110= 580 Infants:90+40= 130

Total= 710 students

Two senior schools pending and sponsorship almost in place for funding. We hope these two schools will be linked to our primary schools so our work will see these children from the start to the end of their education.

Each international school that is linked to a Nepalese school has been responsible for fundraising a minimum of £1500.

CURRENT SCHOOLS

SCHOOL 1 Jana Jagriti Primary School/ Gorkha/ 135 Primary pupils

20 % Chepang (an indigenous tribe) and 80% Dalit which is the lowest and poorest cast in Nepal.

Linked with Blessed Sacrament School, Liverpool

 

 SCHOOL 2 Shree Juggle Lower Secondary School/Hagam/ 200 Primary pupils

Tamang Newar Dalit indigenous casts of Nepal

Linked to Sydenham High School for Girls – London UK

 

SCHOOL 3 SITA PRIMARY/ Chautara /135 Primary pupils

Near UN headquarters Chotora

Linked with Barlows School, Liverpool UK

Sponsored by IYH Trek 2016 & Mike Blanchard

 

SCHOOL 4 BACHCHHALA DEVI PRIMARY/ Chautara Kubinda village /90 infants

Linked with St Francis, Liver pool, UK

 

SCHOOL 5 Sidhartha Primary School/ Hagam /Shermathan village / 40 infants:

Linked to Auchnagatt Primary School, Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

Sponsored by Norman Cunningham, Ryan Gordon & px Limited

 

SCHOOL 6 Sundara Devi Primary/ 110 kids (5-11)

Remote: Tamang, minority community 

Linked to Montague Intermediate School, Canada

 

General Cost Estimates:

Uniforms $7.55 per X 710 = 5360.50 US

Sanitary packs $14.00 US per X 140 students=1960.00 US (plus training?)

1 Toilet block $1380.00 US (estimate attached) X 2 = 1760.00 US

Double toilet block $2660.00 US X 4= 10, 640.00 US (toilet prices are for structure only does not include running water)

Nutrition 135 students per day for 12 months $2700.00 to $3000.00 US, local women to be trained and employed.

Each school rebuild/repair depended on the damage done and location so it has varied. The full costs will be shared when we do our accounts.

IYH will continue to fundraise along with coordinating the repair, building and project management of the strategy outlined above. None of which would be possible without our partners and volunteers.

 

We feel incredibly proud and fulfilled with our first year. IYH has introduced us to some of the most amazing people, both young and old who have taken us in directions we would not have dreamed of when we started. 

 

THANK YOU TO ALL OUR FRIENDS, PARTNERS AND SUPPORTERS