In Nepal

Between 2012 and 2014, the NGDO-FNEL action program focused on Nepal.   In order to help disadvantaged populations, all the actions were aimed at providing access to education and training, both formal and non-formal, to poor and marginalized children, adolescents and women. The strategy adopted in the 2012-2014 action program is "Education for All", broken down into four main areas:   Access to education, with projects: 001-HRDC Hospital for Physically Handicapped Children in Banepa 002-Support to health post at Dhulikhel Teaching Hospital in Godam Chowr 004- Support to the children of parents in prison in Pasikot 013-Reception center for trafficked children in Kathmandu Support for primary and secondary education, with projects: 003-Primary schooling of disadvantaged children in Lalitpur 008- Schooling of disadvantaged children and orphans in Hamro Gaun village and construction of a retaining wall in Sankhu 012- Promotion of education and children's rights through radio in Kaski district 014-Education and Training Program for Disadvantaged Youth in Kathmandu Professional learning, with projects: 007-Supporting the Most Vulnerable and Disadvantaged Children, Youth and Women in the Pokhara Region through Professional Learning, Health Education and Building Life Skills in Pokhara 016-Vocational Training for Substainable Livelihood: Skill for Employment in Hospitality Industry, Pokhara Adult training, with projects: 005- Training and maintenance in agro-forestry and renewable energies, and improvement of photovoltaic systems at Kakani International Training Center in Kakani 006-Support Program for Mothers and Children with HIV / AIDS in Kathmandu / Kakani, The 2012-2014 programmes also included an environmental component (projects 005 above and 009 - Installation of an autonomous photovoltaic system at the Hospital and Rehabilitation Center for Disabled Children (HRDC) for children with physical disabilities. in Banepa), and another health-related component (project 007 above).   The total amount of the framework agreement was € 1,942,899.08 over 3 years.

Our 2015-2018 action program aimed to improve the living conditions of Nepalese people in a sustainable way. All actions are aimed at providing access to education and training, both formal and non-formal, to poor and marginalized children, adolescents and women. In line with the 2012-2014 framework agreement, the strategy adopted in the 2015-2018 action program is "Education for All" divided into four components:   Access to education: Some children can not access normal education, for example because of a disability, illness or because their parents are in prison. By supporting these children, we give them access to basic education Physical rehabilitation of children with disabilities, access to school education (action 001) Access to medical care for the rural community, regular medical monitoring of schoolchildren and pupils (action 002) Social rehabilitation, supervision and schooling of children of parents in prison (action 004) Education of children affected / infected by HIV / AIDS (action 006) Social rehabilitation of children of prisoners (action 017) Support for primary and secondary education: we directly support the primary education of disadvantaged children. These projects include scholarships, as well as support for rural schools (teacher training, renovation of infrastructure if necessary). Primary schooling of disadvantaged children, medical monitoring of schoolchildren (action 003) Improvement of the school environment, capacity building and promotion of the rights of the child by radio (action 012) School enrollment, improvement of the school environment, capacity building (action 014) Improvement of the school environment and capacity building (action 015) Improvement of Shree Rudrepipal High School Environment (Action 020) Professional learning: Nepal is sorely lacking in technical skills. By training young people in trades, we offer them a future perspective in their country, and enable them to contribute to sustainable development in Nepal. Construction of a hotel school to provide vocational training to disadvantaged young people (action 016) Training program on agricultural techniques and capacity building for income-generating activities for disadvantaged young people in rural areas (action 018) Vocational Training Program for Disadvantaged Youth, Baglung District (Action 019) Adult Education: Some adults lack essential basic skills. This particularly impacts women when they are pushed out of their villages, for example when they have HIV. We provide them with a basic education (literacy, income generating activity, self-esteem). Non-formal education of women living with HIV / AIDS, income-generating activities, health education (action 006) Building local capacity through training rural communities in income-generating activities (action 014)   The total amount of the framework agreement was € 2,590,475 over 4 years.   Overall, the program was successful and the objectives set for the 4 years of the Framework Agreement were achieved for the majority of projects, with some adaptations to the situation on the ground . Most of the partnerships established will be pursued in the next framework agreement, with evolutions resulting from the lessons of the mid-term evaluation conducted in 2017.   However, in 2015, our association had to suspend the realization of projects 007 - Professional Learning Program for disadvantaged young people, in Pokhara and 008 - Strengthening the schooling of destitute children and orphans, in Sankhu, following internal management problems of local partners. Five new projects were therefore started during the framework agreement to compensate for the closure of the 007 and 008 projects, and three of them (016, 018 and 019) had the main objective of strengthening the "professional training" area our strategy that depended solely on project 007.

The earthquakes of April and May 2015 gave rise to a tremendous show of solidarity. ONGD-FNEL received lots of donations, and many fundraising activities were organised within the association or by the FNEL (Luxembourg scouts and guides federation), scout groups or related organisations. Again, a big thank-you to everyone.   The donations received allowed ONGD-FNEL to respond to its Nepalese partners’ needs and provide targeted aid for the population groups who were the most affected. ONGD-FNEL concentrated its efforts on priority projects complementing its development activities designed to boost education in Nepal (Framework Agreement 2015/2018).   The need to obtain the Nepalese government’s agreement for all rehabilitation measures significantly delayed our projects (our partners are unable to act without such agreement); however, the overall outcome of our activities is positive. Since April 2018, all our rehabilitation projects have been completed.   List of the projects:  Aid and protection for lone children in Rasuwa together with Umbrella Organisation Nepal: 3 299 children in the districts of Rasuwa and Nuwakot made use of two telephone help-lines, and 75 children were accommodated in the emergency shelter. The project ran for 8 months, and ONGD-FNEL’s contribution amounted to €8 500. Construction of four earthquake-proof houses for children together with Prisoners Assistance Nepal, in Madanpokhara VDC-Palpa District, Khudunabari VDC- Jhapa District, Sankhu and Jail Area, Kathmandu Valley. Project 2016/2017 co-financed by the Luxembourg Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Duration of activities: 24 months. The aim of the project is to provide safe accommodation for 166 children of prisoners by rebuilding six dormitories. Apart from the physical protection of prisoners’ children, this project aims to help these vulnerable children cope with their traumas and provide them with a school education and everyday life skills. Total budget: €142 575, ONGD-FNEL’s contribution: €21 386.25. Rebuilding of three schools damaged by the earthquake in the district of Nuwakot Project 2016/2018 undertaken in a consortium with Coopération Humanitaire Luxembourg asbl and Pharmaciens sans Frontières Luxembourg. Project co-financed by the Luxembourg Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Duration of activities: 24 months. The aim of the project is to rebuild three schools to the standards introduced following the earthquakes, with a view to establishing regular school programmes and setting up a children’s club so as to reduce the school drop-out rate. Total budget: €314 706, ONGD-FNEL’s contribution: €15 000. Participation in the reconstruction of the Marpak zone together with R4C Project 2016/2017. The project objectives are 1) to rebuild 1050 houses and 10 schools, promoting the learning of earthquake-proof building methods by small firms and local workers, and 2) to participate in the rebuilding of the health centre. Duration of activities: 18 months. Total anticipated budget: €139 000, ONGD-FNEL’s contribution: €25 000. Supporting the Tikhedunga's school Project 2017 This project contributes to improve the school infrastructure (benches, desks etc.) and construction of a retaining wall after the monsoon.  ONGD-FNEL’s contribution: €5 000. Support for education in Lalitpur together with SETU Nepal, with the aims of re-establishing the school system and providing material support for the affected communities. These activities went on for 8 months, and ONGD-FNEL’s contribution amounted to €20 000: Construction of an emergency shelter, provision of cooking utensils, and distribution of food (Lalitpur, Sindhupalanchowk). Nutrition programme targeting 70 children for 6 months. Though the ONGD support was for a short term period, the nutrition programme is still an ongoing project funded and run by Setu. Refurbishing of two classrooms for young children Purchase of kitchen equipment and cooking utensils, and school supplies and uniforms, for the affected communities Material support for seven schools in the district of Lalitpur. Financial support for five abandoned elderly persons in Lalitpur, enabling them to buy food, water and basic equipment (bed, table) and restore their dwelling. This activity lasted 2 months. ONGD-FNEL’s contribution amounted to €1 000. On-the-spot monitoring was provided by Paul Geditz. Financial support for 24 homeless families in Godam Chowr (114 individuals), enabling them to buy food, water and basic equipment (bed, table) and restore their dwelling. This activity lasted 4 months. ONGD-FNEL’s contribution amounted to € 5 000. On-the-spot monitoring was provided by Paul Geditz. Rebuilding of two schools in the district of Kathmandu together with CWSN: the Bandevi Lower Secondary School and Bhuwaneswori Primary Schools, which had been severely damaged by the earthquake, were rebuilt. This activity took 3 months. ONGD-FNEL’s contribution amounted to € 7 500. Financial support for HRDC, R4C and PA Nepal for the purchase of children’s clothing. This activity lasted 4 months. ONGD-FNEL’s contribution amounted to €3 600. The clothes collected in Luxembourg could not be sent to Nepal because the Nepalese government banned the import of second-hand clothing. ONGD-FNEL therefore gave these clothes to the Luxembourg Red Cross. Rehabilitation and securing of the HRDC hospital: the aim of the project was to repair and house the hospital’s water tanks, and to secure the building itself. The project took 6 months. ONGD-FNEL’s contribution: €5 000. Support for the rehabilitation of 12 rural schools in the most affected districts: Makanwanpur, Okhaldhunga, Dhading, Nuwakot, Sinduli, Solukhumbu, Sindhupalanchowk, Kavre, Dolakha, Rasuwa, Ramecchap and Gorkha, together with Karuna Shechen.  Project 2015/2016 undertaken in a consortium with Les Amis du Tibet Luxembourg and co-financed by the Luxembourg Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Duration of activities: 13 months. The aim of the project is to provide schools destroyed by the earthquake with the necessary resources so that they can function again. This education project has two aspects: material support and organisational support. Total budget: €157 742, ONGD-FNEL’s contribution: €10 000.    

In Nepal, despite some public initiatives to improve the social protection system, there is a great lack of local support and investment structures for the most vulnerable people, such as people in prison, people with disease or disability.

Access to quality education for all, which is the fourth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), is not yet a reality for many children and young people in Nepal.

In Nepal, public schools suffer from little investment in their structures and staff. At the same time, expensive private schools are gaining ground and attracting more and more students to the general belief that they offer better teaching.

The unemployment rate for young people aged 15 to 29 is 19.2%, compared to 2.7% for the general population, and between 450,000 and 500,000 young people of Nepal come of working age each year.

Nepal's local communities are poorly awareof their rights, especially the rights of women and children, and few know how to report the abuses they witness.