Freedom to Learn works hard to ensure that children in rural Nepal are given the best possible start in life.
We are a charity based in the UK with nearly 20 years’ of experience working in the education sector in India and Nepal. We believe every child deserves a quality education no matter their background or ethnicity.
Though our work is currently focused primarily in the Bagmati Province of Nepal, we have worked across the width of the Himalayas.
With the clear aim of improving access to a high quality of education for all, we operate in 3 key thematic areas:
Advocacy and research
Ensuring that everyone in the community has the opportunity to understand and therefore value the importance of a stable education in some of the poorest areas of the world.
Quality of education
Improving and sustaining a positive curriculum in schools and helping teachers feel equipped and confident to deliver impactful lessons.
Access to education
Removing any barriers which might stop young people in rural Nepal from attending school every day.
Our current work builds on 10 years of experience and evidence-based learning from working in schools across Nepal. Working with local implementing partners, the current project will improve access to and quality of education for 4784 children in 34 primary and secondary schools in rural areas across the district of Kavre.
We know there are a myriad of complex issues that stop a child in Nepal from going to school and being able to further themselves and their family. The difficulties they face are wide and varied and solving only one issue, such as building toilets, will not have the wide impact needed for increasing school participation for these children. They face a lack of transport, gender discrimination, ethnic conflict and caste discrimination, a lack of facilities at home and at school, absent teachers, child labour and domestic abuse. All complex and delicate issues to address – and we have learned that a multifaceted approach is vital.
The variety of projects we run with this mission are largely divided in to “4 Pillars of Work”
Pillar one: Advocacy and research
- Local interactive theatre shows facilitating dialogue and encouraging communities to think about barriers to education for their children and develop solutions towards overcoming them.
- The publication of school data and attendance figures to inform local education policies towards more sustainability in government led schools.
Pillar two: Quality of education
- Delivering teacher training to local staff to improve curriculum, teaching styles and specialist early-learning initiatives.
- Delivering governance training – making sure School Management Committees are set-up and structured to ensure the effective running of schools.
- Training the trainers – equipping local teaching talent with the knowledge, skills and resources to deliver training throughout their local communities.
Pillar three: Access to education
- Visiting local families at their homes to discuss and address any barriers to school attendance – such as uniform, travel, money and more.
- Raising awareness of gender discrimination through drama performances and training in schools.
Pillar four: Global citizenship and responsibility
- Partnering local schools with international schools to encourage dialogue and interactive projects on global issues and knowledge exchange.
Our fantastic and long-standing implementing partners in Nepal – the Rural Community Foundation (RCF) was founded after the 2015 earthquakes when our work needed to expand in response to the extremely difficult circumstances. This is led by a group of young professionals we know well and have worked alongside for 10 years. Their Director is an FtL Project Manager – Mr Shree Krishna Thapa. And you can find more out about their work here: http://rcfnepal.org.np
Opportunities for Children in Nepal
Advocacy
&
Research
Act on Education:
Forum Theatre community projects, facilitating constructive dialogue between stakeholders and addressing key barriers to education.
Publication of up-to-date school data across Panauti to inform education policy and our work.
Improving Quality of Educational Provision
Ensuring better quality teaching/learning processes
Policy and Procedure and Good governance – training and resources for School Management Committees
Early Childhood Development
Training teachers and providing resources specific to Early Learning, ensuring every child is developmentally on track
Extra Tuition Classes
Essential to providing equal opportunities to children who have lost learning due to their circumstances, and to support them to keep them developmentally on track.
Improving Access to Education
Family Outreach
Teachers visit families to raise awareness of school and provide connections to support where needed.
Through extracurricular fun activities in the community, we raise awareness
Resource Provision
Uniform, warm school meals, and stationery enables students who otherwise can’t afford the practical materials for school to be able to attend.
Global Citizenship & Responsibility
Global Friendships and joint international school projects on key global issues.
Climate Change and Responsibility
Setting up Green Councils, school ‘Greening’ and training for young leaders around mitigating the impact of climate change in Panauti.