Hosting NGO
VIN (Volunteers Initiative Nepal)
Contact person
Dinesh Khatiwada, General Secretary dinesh@volunteeringnepal.org Tel: 977-9851100350
Project Place
Jitpurphedi Village Development Committee, Kathmandu
Background
Local/ social situation/ needs for the project
Learning starts from right at birth. The first six years of a child’s life are crucial. During these years, a child’s brain is maturing at a rapid rate. Children are developing the language and social skills to interact with others. They are learning about the world and everything in it. Appropriate early childhood education supports brain development, while giving young children a head start for life.
In 2000, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child outlined how countries can protect children’s rights in early childhood. Early childhood education is also an obligation under international and regional education frameworks. The Education for All (EFA) goals, adopted in Dakar, provided a clear framework for quality early childhood programs. The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 2 emphasizes equal access to primary education for every boy and girl. Early intervention helps children to enter school at the right age, to stay there for longer and to improve their learning outcomes.
Child care: early childhood education project fosters a congenial learning environment for children of 3 to 6 years of age to develop motor, mental, social and emotional skills.In Nepal, little effort is made by the government and various other sectors, to nurture and promote the overall intellectual and physical wellbeing of the young. A healthy childhood is the vital foundation of a functional future working force.
Although the government of Nepal has, upon several occasions, encouraged early childhood development centers (ECD) to set up in communities, due to the scattered nature of rural villages, institutions such as local schools, become near to inaccessible for the local people. As a result, most children spend their early years at home, without any play material, acquiring no communicative or social skill. What we hear is “encouragement” from a seemingly confident government, but what we see is a lack of required facility to put that encouragement for ideals into effect. While some regions in Nepal may appear to uphold efficient early childhood development centres, when digging beyond that exterior, one can be sure to find unqualified teachers, in classrooms that are far from child friendly and resourceful. VIN therefore aims to equip school based early childhood development centres and for the first time in Nepal, provide an efficient means of education for the young children. We train ECD teachers to make their classes joyful and creative for children.
Name and description of the local host
VIN now supports over 40 early childhood education centers based in schools and communities.These centers have purposefully been set up in the impoverished / disadvantaged communities, which have often been shadowed during times of development effort. District Education Office, Kathmandu and Okhaldhunga, Villagae Development Committees and local community based and private schools are our
partners. More than half of the Nepalese children do not have a chance to attend early childhood programs that provide a chance to improve the language, cognitive, social and pre-literacy skills that are the foundations for lifelong learning.
Aims and expected impact of the project
The project aims to make a difference in Jitpurphedi community by doing the following:
- Enhancing children’s cognitive growth and social, emotional, behavioral development increasing overall academic performance
- Providing children the early learning foundations necessary for success in primary and secondary school
- Freeing older siblings from tending younger siblings allowing them to attend school regularly
- Allowing caregivers to work by providing a safe learning environment for their young children
- Raising caregivers’ awareness of how early education can help their children
- Helping communities, especially the women, to work together for the benefit of their children
Main voluntary work
Assist local teachers in their daily roles/ Teach children different motor and kinesthetic skills/ Play games and rhymes with children/ Provide child care support/ Create resources for the children/ Take children on excursions/ Make campaign to the community and request the people to send their children to the center/ Develop different teaching child friendly materials in the center/ Paint the class rooms and decorate it/ Do a variety of other activities.
Approximate working hours: 6 hours x 5 days (weekdays) in a week (can be changeable)
Accommodation
Type of building: The host family identify by VIN in the working site in a simple building.
- Sleeping: Sharing with other vols.
- Meals: Cooked by vols. & locals
- How and how long to go to work: 10-25 minutes’ walk from their family.
- Smoking: Only outside building
- Internet access: In working site internet is not available. It is available in half an hour travel by public vehicle. They can also use internet in VIN’s office which is in 40 minutes distance by public bus. VIN will provide them the local SIM cards to use in their phone.
- Any other points: The volunteers should come with their sleeping bags and personal use materials like laptops, camera and other cream, towels etc (We can send the detail information pack once the volunteers assign the project.
Location
VIN has been implementing its programs in the Jitpur community of Kathmandu District, which is only about 10 km away from main ring road to Balaju. There are mixed castes within the communities. Dalit (otherwise known as ‘untouchables’) and Balami (a mongoloid tribe) seem to be particularly marginalized. Most of people follow HinduismThere are 61 women’s groups following income-generation activities
facilitated by VIN. The community area is dirty because of a lack of hygiene awareness and schools are deprived of basic facilities, such as toilets, drinking water and teaching resources. There is a total of6 public schools in the VDC – 3 Primary, 1 Secondary and 2 Higher Secondary schools – and they are all eager to see positive changes. The Government-run small sub-health post and pharmacy at Tinpiple are the only health centres providing services to the community. The health post lacks a qualified health
service provider and sufficient basic medicines.
The temperature in Apr.-Jun. is mildly warm in low lands while moderate in higher altitudes with plenty of opportunities to have tryst with the mountain views. It is also the time for flowers to blossom and the national flower of Nepal – rhododendron sweeps the ascending altitudes with its magnanimous color and beauty. The temperature ranges between 16-23 Degree Celsius (61-73 Degree Fahrenheit)
Terminal
- Nearest international airport: Tribhuwan International Airport. VIN’s staff will pick the vols. up.
- Transportation from the capital or other major city: VIN arranges the hotel/ accommodation, food and transportation to go to the project. The flight detail should be sent in 2 weeks prior.
Other activities
The volunteers will be involving in different local festivals and events with their host families. They also can go for sightseeing around Kathmandu valley and outside Kathmandu like Chitwan Jungle Safire, Pokhara, Lumbini in their own costs. VIN can organize these visits if they are interested.
Qualification for volunteers
- Required: Those who can communicate in English, motivated and who want to contribute for marginalized communities.
- Required: The volunteers who are from the educational background and love children are welcomed.
Attraction for volunteers
The volunteers will get chance to work with children, women and community people. They can develop the construction skills, presentation, communication and so many other skills.The volunteers will be working with VIN’s community staffs especially doctors and Women Empowerment program officer. They can learn the community development process of the organization.
Financial condition
- Fee to be paid for the full period: 900 Euro (1,213 US$ as of 2014 Feb. 02)!
- Pocket money to be paid for the full period: None
- The extra travelling cost during the weekends is of their own.
Meetings
- On arrival training: for a week at the beginning. It will be conducted at VIN office.
- Special care during Project: VIN coordinator will visit twice on the first week and every two weeks to the project or the family. Besides, we make phone calls, text message/ email (where available) regularly.VIN’s local community program staffs will be always available around in the community/ project site.
- Evaluation meeting: Monthly at VIN office. We conduct written evaluation every month to the working site and final written and oral evaluation and send it to the partner organizations with pictures.