NCEF is coming towards the end of a busy year - one that brought with it much hope and excitement as we expanded our program and increased our efforts to help a child earn an education.

As a small independent and fully volunteer-based organization, we were affected by the declining economy. There was a noticeable decrease in donations from previous year. However, with the support of our committed and generous donors, we were able to raise $9,439, which is almost halfway to our fundraising goal of $20,000.

We received small yet heartfelt support from children from “The Explorer’s Club”, a non-profit childcare cooperative located in a small town of Grand Marais in Minnesota. The children ranging from ages 5 through 11, prepared and served lunch to over 2 dozen invited guests and donated $210 for the children of Nepal.

As in previous years, the “Recycle for Education” project initiated by Hem Pokharel raised $130. We were able to raise $1,064 from the Google matching gifts program.

We thank all our well-wishers and donors for their generous support during these times of economic difficulties. We still need your help to meet our goal of $20,000 this year.

Donations in 2009 as of Dec 17, 2009

Students need a home environment that encourages them to study and learn while they are away from school. They spend a majority of their time with their parents and siblings at home. However, most of our students’ home environments are not conducive for being a student. Many things that we take for granted (e.g., a desk to work at, light so that we can work after sunset, and time to focus on being a student) are absent in Nepal. A major concern is that families do not systematically carve out time for their children to complete homework and study for exams. This reality demands that we develop creative solutions, and we need to create solutions that are minimally intrusive, sustainable, and mindful of the limited resources of NGOs.

In Sunsari, we are currently supporting ten students who face an array of difficult challenges.

• Four are landless squatters.
• Five are girls (as girl child, they are expected to help with the housework).
• Nine are from a low caste or are considered untouchables.
• Two are from single-parent homes (their mothers are widowers).
• Six do not have a literate parent or guardian at home to guide them in their study and learning.

Their backgrounds are such that the odds of completing school are stacked against them. It is likely that these students will often struggle at school to catch up with their peers who are more fortunate.

Currently, NCEF provides financial assistance to students to cover their school fees and costs for necessary books and supplies. NCEF, however, does not provide financial assistance to the landless squatters so that they can build homes and afford electricity at nights for the students to study. Nor does it have volunteers to visit the homes of our scholarship recipients to help them with homework every evening. For most of our students, education stops when the bell rings at school.

Recognizing these adversities, our volunteers went above and beyond their duties by developing a creative strategy to foster a culture of opportunity for studying in partnership with the students’ school. The volunteers in Sunsari came up with a zero-cost plan that would make it a little bit easier for NCEF students to complete with homework and assignments. Leveraging the fact that NCEF is viewed as an organization that works with deserving children and has their best interest at heart, as well as the fact that it is the largest single source of funding to the school in the form of school fees, NCEF volunteers were able to create an after-school program in partnership with the Sunsari school. The school now offers an additional hour of schooling every day for children who could benefit from extra help. With this arrangement, after the bell rings, the students gather in a classroom and work on assignments guided by one of the teachers from the school.

This story is just one example of how the passion and creativity of our volunteers guide our work in Nepal. NCEF is comprised of individuals that will go above and beyond to assist deserving students. However, our efforts are not possible without your generous contributions. Please visit this page to read the profile of our students in Sunsari and other areas in Nepal: http://www.nepalchildren.org/children/

Flavio Oliveira, a friend of NCEF, visited Nepal in October and had the opportunity to meet two NCEF volunteers. He was encouraged to see the passion for education and the important role NCEF is playing to meet our childrens dream for education. In this newsletter, we want to share with our readers Flavio’s account of this trip.

"I recently spent three weeks trekking in the Solu Khumbu region of Nepal and had the opportunity to admire the beauty of Everest. While stunning views surrounded me, however, what impressed me the most were the Nepalese people. Their kindness, honesty and warmth were remarkable. Back in Kathmandu, I had the pleasure of meeting Hari Tripathi and Bidur Dhungana. Hari and Bidur are two NCEF volunteers, and they provided me with an overview of the work done by the organization. Having a strong interest in the power of education as an agent for development and social change, I was very happy to meet such genuine and passionate people volunteering their time for this cause.

Flavio Oliveira in Nepal

This is why organizations like NCEF are incredibly important. I was touched to see that motivated children are able to pursue an education because of the scholarships provided by NCEF. Meeting with Hari and Bidur was inspirational and definitely one of the highlights of my trip! "

About Flavio Oliveira

Flavio was born and grew up in Brazil, but for the past 7 years he has lived in North America. First in Vancouver, Canada and then in Berkeley, California. Flavio has recently earned a PhD at UC Berkeley and is now focusing on developing ways to use science and technology education to promote development and social change.