Endorsing school extracurriculars in Nepal

Bisruti Pandey

My journey with ECCA started fairly recently. Being from Nepal and passionate about the environment, ECCA has always been on my radar. However, since I currently reside in Cambodia, I want to expand my passion for the environment to the best of my abilities there. I joined the Environmental Action Committee in my school in 7th grade and, in 11th grade, became the environment and sustainability committee leader. I also started a trash collection initiative in Cambodia, where international and local community members gathered to make their home cleaner. Volunteering for ECCA, I aim to expand on what I have done in Cambodia and enforce things such as extracurriculars (e.g. nature club) and programs like the litter-free campaign.

The Litter Free Campaign is conducted by ECCA and its youth counselors to make Nepal a cleaner place. This campaign started with an awareness rally on World Earth Day (22nd April 2023). In addition to ECCA officials and counselors, there was participation from Bal Binod Secondary School, Lalit Kalyan Kendra Basic School, Ratna Rajya Laxmi Campus, Nami College, Patan Multiple Campus, Lalitpur Local Guide, Leo Club, Rotaract Club.

Objectives:

• Raise awareness about the impacts of plastic waste on health and the environment.
• Encourage people to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic waste.
• Promote the concept of a litter-free zone in the community.
• Engage and mobilize youths in environmental conservation efforts by collecting plastic waste from the surroundings while walking on the rally.

Ultimately, this rally led up to a greater campaign. With the idea of being litter free and cleaner being so prominent in Nepal today, this rally and this campaign are adding fuel to the fire and reinforcing the importance of protecting the environment and the three R’s (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle). Upon arriving in Nepal, I helped increase the litter-free campaign by endorsing school extracurriculars. Below are images of our school visit and the presentation to promote the litter-free campaign via extracurriculars in schools.

Extracurriculars are highly important, and endorsing things like the litter-free campaign within programs like the nature club, was a great way to get the youths involved. Ultimately this Campaign is the one that functions with the goal of making our home, Nepal, a cleaner place.

Building Foundation for Bright Future

Durga Shrestha, ECCA Counsellor

Being born and raised in Kathmandu, I didn’t think it to be a privilege.  But, after visiting Rapti-12 and 13, I could see how privileged the people born in Kathmandu actually were. Here, I could easily get access to anything I wanted and it never occurred to me that the things I took for granted could be the things someone else was praying for. Even the simplest of the things weren’t available in the villages of Rapti-12 and 13, which left me speechless, as it was a very heart-wrenching experience for me.

Since the main aim of the training was to make them aware about Early Child Development (ECD) and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), we felt happy that these pure souls would finally be getting to learn the proper way of living. This training could turn out to be a life-changing experience for them, as they have little knowledge about ECD and WASH. So, we wholeheartedly gave our devotion so that we could be a part of them and they shouldn’t be ashamed to talk with us.

From the first day, the participants (ECD teachers, SMC, and Women group members) showed so much energy to learn about ECD and WASH that it boosted our confidence to make them aware of ECD including significant learning of Child Development, Mind growth age, Emotional and Psychological aspects of the children, and making them more creative. We also made them clear about the importance of safe and clean drinking water, the importance of hygiene, and measures of sanitation. As they were not aware of water filtration methods and were using water received directly from the source, we taught various methods of water filtration.  

One of the participants shared their community story, “before we did not use any water filtration method, because of which we suffered a lot. But now, we drink water by applying different water filtration methods like- filtration, boiling”.

We also introduced them to the 4R’s of waste management (i.e. Recycle, Reuse, Rethink, and Reduce) and about the physical touch and ways to distinguish between good touch and bad touch. Practical demonstrations were also held during the training.

Immediately after the training completion, we could already see some changes they had already adopted, which they learned on various training sessions. We were more than happy to be a part of the change that could change the future of this place. We could not even put into words how grateful we’re towards ECCA for providing such platform to showcase our talents that could be utilized to change the face of underprivileged community. We wish to be part of as many trainings as we could so that we could change the future of underprivileged souls.

Practical demonstration of hand washing steps by a participant

Group work

Sharing group task with another participant

Temperature observation

HEADLICE FREE CHEPANG CHILDREN

Manisha Regmi, ECCA Counselor

Becoming a part of ECCA organized “Beautiful Hair Weeks” program was totally a new experience for me. The Chepang people again welcomed me into their world with genuine smiles and open hearts. “Beautiful Hair Weeks” program was conducted for the second time in 14 schools and communities of ward no. 12 and 13 of Rapti Municipality, Chitwan in the months of September and October 2023.

The program aimed to mobilize women group members to make the hair healthy and to change the perception of people regarding head lice. As the program was conducted for the second time in the same villages and schools, the numbers of infested students were found low as compared to the first time. As a positive impact of the project, many people were found practicing different ways to get rid of head lice such as making hair short, regular hair bath, washing hair with shampoo, using anti head lice comb, etc.

During the one day orientation conducted in all the 14 cluster villages, women group members were oriented on head lice and its effect on day to day activities, Mangly solution (anti-head lice solution), application method and procedures through practical demonstration.

The one day orientation was followed by applying the solution to the infested students by mobilizing women group members. Out of total 1642 students, 421 students were found infested by head lice. The anti-head lice solution was applied among the infested students for 3 consecutive weeks with a gap of 1 week between the 1^st – 2^nd and 2^nd – 3^rd application.

Among 421 infested students in whom the solution was applied, head lice was detected in 19 students even after the 3^rd application. The reason being living in a joint family, sharing bed sheet and clothes with other family members having head lice, and not maintaining hygiene properly.

Anti-head lice solution and other required materials were handed over to women groups, which help them to conduct similar program themselves as per requirement of the schools and community. All the students, teachers, women group members, school stakeholders and community were thankful for the support provided.

SDG Flag Day #TogetherForTheSDGs

Transforming Lives in Rapti Ward 13 Villages: A Journey of Development

Sabin Bharati (Counsellor)

Three years ago, when I first arrived in Rapti Municipality Ward 13 villages for the ECCA Camp, I was confronted with the harsh reality of a rural community. The sight of people wearing torn clothes and the hesitation of children and women to interact with outsiders left a lasting impact on me. The dire living conditions were evident from the absence of proper sanitation facilities, lack of WASH and nutrition knowledge, and the general sense of isolation experienced by the villagers. However, through the dedicated efforts of ECCA Nepal, the community has witnessed a remarkable transformation. Today, as a counselor, I am thrilled to witness the positive changes that have taken place in Rapti Municipality Ward 13 villages.

One of the first challenges that ECCA Nepal tackled was the lack of basic facilities in the villages. The absence of toilets was a major concern, leading to unhygienic practices and health hazards. ECCA Nepal organized programs on latrine construction, providing the community with the necessary materials and knowledge to build proper toilets. Today, it is heartening to see that the villagers have embraced this change and are using toilets in a proper manner, contributing to a cleaner and healthier environment.

Education and hygiene go hand-in-hand, and ECCA Nepal recognized the need to address these issues simultaneously. In the ECCA Camp, children arrived without proper school attire, footwear, or bags. They lacked basic hygiene practices like washing their faces, brushing their teeth, and combing their hair. ECCA Nepal provided hygiene kits, school gardening kits, game materials, and stationary materials to the students, enabling them to maintain good hygiene and have access to educational resources. It is gratifying to know that even after three years, some students still use the hygiene kits provided, highlighting their commitment to personal cleanliness.

ECCA Nepal understood that lasting change could only be achieved by empowering the community, particularly women and children. By engaging them in various programs, ECCA Nepal aimed to enhance their life skills and build their capacity. The positive impact of these efforts is evident in the improved communication between counselors and the villagers. The villagers now feel more confident and are actively participating in the development of their community.

ECCA Nepal not only focused on creating awareness but also provided the community with sustainable solutions. Water filter systems were introduced to ensure access to clean drinking water. Villagers continue to use these water filters, further emphasizing the successful implementation of long-term solutions. Additionally, programs on nutrition and kitchen gardening were conducted to address the lack of knowledge in these areas. By providing plant seeds and imparting essential knowledge, ECCA Nepal enabled the community to improve their livelihoods and enhance their nutritional intake.

As a counselor, I am privileged to be a part of the positive changes that have taken place in Rapti Municipality Ward 13 villages. The journey from a village grappling with numerous challenges to one that is embracing development is truly inspiring. The community’s commitment to maintaining hygiene, utilizing the resources provided, and actively engaging in various programs reflects their determination to create a better future. ECCA Nepal’s dedication to sustainable development has brought about significant improvements in the lives of the villagers. While there is still much work to be done, the transformation witnessed in these villages serves as a light of hope, encouraging us to continue engaging in such impactful endeavors.

THE CHEPANG CHILDREN AND MY CAMP

Manisha Regmi

I grew up in the crowded city Kathmandu, where modernity and urbanization are transforming landscape. Attending ECCA’s Counsellor Training Camp provided me a profound platform to enhance my knowledge through volunteering in rural communities of Nepal. I feel privileged to volunteer in the Chepang community living in Rapti Municipality, Chitwan, Nepal.

Stepping out of my comfort zone and going to the Chepang village was an eye-opening experience, which offered me a deeper understanding of the world I live in. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the enchanting Chepang community, where I was warmly welcomed with smiles of the villagers into a unique world of traditions. This visit proved to be an unforgettable adventure and I was touched by their struggle. Seeing small children coming to the school without wearing proper dress and slippers melted me.

The Chepang people are one of Nepal’s most marginalized indigenous groups. They have faced centuries of exclusion and discrimination, lacking access to the basic services (education, healthcare, infrastructure). The Chepang community has a distinct cultural heritage, living a traditional way of life deeply rooted in nature and subsistence farming. Their children are most vulnerable although they are the future pillar of our nation.

The Chepang Child, a symbol of hope and change for them, represents the struggle of the indigenous communities in their pursuit of education and a brighter future. Children have to walk long distance to reach the nearest school. Accessing quality education remains a distant dream for many of them.

The training I provided them mainly focused on WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), as maintaining personal hygiene was a big deal for Chepang students, since their family could not fulfil even the basic needs properly. My session also included school environment indicators, making of school garden, and making six-month action plan for the school-based child club (which also helps to implement their learning from the training camp).

Children were curious to learn each and everything and also all of them were active throughout the camp. As an impact of ECCA’s training camps, students are slowly learning to maintain their hygiene. But, to make them habituated, this type of training should be conducted frequently in schools and community.

Assembling water filter

Learning water safety chain

Making school garden

Learning water purification methods

36th ECCA Day celebration

July 22, 2023

Counsellor of The Year 2022-2023, Mr. Sabin Bharati

Top 10 Counselors of the Year 2022-2023

A New Beginning: My Experience as an ECCA Counselor

Smith Giri

My journey as an ECCA counselor began with a profound experience in ward 12 of Rapti Municipality, Chitwan, through engaging in a painting project focused on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) awareness. Let me share with you the transformative journey of this first experience with ECCA and the impact it had on me. 

The painting project for WASH awareness was an eye-opening experience. It was not just about painting murals or creating artwork; it was about igniting change, raising awareness, and empowering individuals to embrace better WASH practices. As we embarked on this journey, our team (consisting of ECCA counselors from Kathmandu and Chitwan), shared a common vision of creating a positive impact in the community. Together, we painted murals on various infrastructures, including Early Childhood Development (ECD) classrooms, Multi Grade Multi Level (MGML) classrooms, hand washing stations, drinking water stations, and toilets. The aim was to bring attention to the crucial aspects of WASH, such as the importance of hand washing, proper waste disposal, and access to safe drinking water.  Some paintings were also related to the curriculum related with ECD and MGML classes.

As the project unfolded, my perspective also underwent a profound shift. Witnessing the impact of the paintings on the community, I began to realize the transformative power of art in raising awareness and initiating conversations. Throughout the painting project, we witnessed the strength of art in captivating the attention of both children and adults. The vibrant and thought-provoking paintings acted as visual triggers for conversations about WASH practices. They sparked curiosity and encouraged discussions among students and community members about the significance of clean WASH. Thus, the murals we created acted as visual triggers, capturing attention and prompting discussions that went beyond aesthetics.

As an ECCA counselor, witnessing the impact of the painting project filled me with a sense of fulfillment. It reaffirmed my belief in the power of art to inspire change and ignite conversations. The smiles on the faces of the children, the engagement of the local counselors, and the transformative conversations we had are moments that will forever be etched in my memory.

This experience also provided me with personal growth. Working closely with local counselors expanded my understanding of their unique challenges and aspirations. It has deepened my appreciation for the resilience and strength of the community, reinforcing my commitment in supporting their journey towards a healthier and more sustainable future!

Exposure Visit to Jhapa District, East Nepal

By Sawana Rai and Durga Shrestha 

We were lucky to be in the management team of the Exposure Visit to Jhapa program. The program was a whole new learning experience as well as a big responsibility for us. We helped our best in the management of the team of 66 participants (34 from Dolakha district and 32 from Chitwan district) while allowing ourselves to learn and enjoy from the visit destinations.

The visit had a large team inclusive of school stakeholders from ECCA’s “Healthy Children – Healthy Communities 2: Participatory school and community development in rural Nepal” project areas in Chitwan district and Dolakha district along with the ECCA team of staffs and counselors. The 5 days program from November 29 – December 4, 2022 was engaging every day with a pre-planned schedule. As management team, we were with the visit participants most of the time, which provided us the opportunity to interact with them regarding the things they found insightful from the visit.

The main attraction of the visit was school observation. The schools selected for the visit: Dhulabari Secondary School, Janajyoti Basic School and Kavisiromani Secondary School made a diverse portfolio in terms of scale of management and school infrastructures. Participants were really appreciative of the child friendly school environment including Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructures and improved practices of the schools. The visit participants had the opportunity to observe and interact with School Management Committee, Parents Teachers Association, mothers’ groups, teachers and students. They were motivated to develop and maintain WASH infrastructures in their schools too. Another inspiration was the Child Club in the schools. The students’ presentation on their activities, their behavior and respect towards the guests and their participation in the school visit were admired by all. 

Participants were also curious about the fish farming, cow farming and seasonal vegetables farming that were adopted by the schools as a means of income generation with the involvement of students. By the end of the visit, they were motivated to utilize farming as a medium to increase the school income and also to teach about it to the young generation. 

A very entertaining and different experience during the visit was Homestay. Not only did the participants get to interact with the exemplary homestay management of Shree Antu, Ilam, they experienced it with a night’s stay. “Do we have a prospect of homestay culture in Chitwan?” A conversation sparked in the bus during our travel from homestay to the next destination. The ward presidents of Chitwan-12 and Chitwan-13 discussed the prospect of homestay promoting the Chepang community in Chitwan district. From the interaction with the management of homestay, the participants were intrigued by the economic as well as social upliftment of the community through homestay culture. 

The visit also included visit to Cardamom Development Center and NMC Unified Model Agricultural Farm, which aimed at agricultural exposure. By the end of the visit, participants were discussing cash crops viable in their regions like cardamom, tea and coffee. The participants were keen to learn about cardamom farming and were curious to know its prospect in their regions too. The participants were interested in adoption of modern agricultural techniques.

Kanyam was fun and insightful as well. The beauty of Kanyam attracted the participants and facilitators likewise. The greenery of the surrounding was a freshener for the visit team that  had a busy schedule throughout the visit program.

All in all, we could feel the positivity from the interactions with our visit participants. The participants were enthusiastic to share their visit learning in their communities and schools. The local government representatives expressed how they would contribute to include opinions of school stakeholders in policy making for the development of school environment and quality education in their regions. The School Management Committees were hopeful to work together with ECCA and local government for the development and management of WASH infrastructures in the schools. They were also inspired to promote Child Clubs in their schools. The Women’s Groups, Parents Teachers Association and Village Development Groups were all optimistic to contribute from their part in the development of their schools and communities. They all realized how the cooperation and unison among the school stakeholders is crucial in the betterment of the school and community at large too.

As we returned back to Kathmandu after bidding goodbye to the Chitwan and Dolakha team, we conversed about our program experience. How challenging the management was, yet how wonderful it was to witness the changes in the behaviors and perspectives of the participants through the exposure visit program. How satisfying it was to hear the learning and thankfulness of the participants. How every visit destination was insightful and how the participants also shared their ideas and left their words of advice. How the representatives of different communities were all brought together by the program and how they all exchanged ideas, opinions and a common hope for a better school environment and better communities!

Dhulabari Teens Club student showing pad incinerator

Interaction of Homestay Management with Team Chitwan

Participants observing Fish Farming in Dhulabari Secondary School

Participants watching the wall magazine published by a child club

Group photo of participants, school representatives and facilitators at Kavi Siromani School

Ward presidents sharing token of love before departure

Beautiful Hair Weeks! Enabling Children to Attend School with Healthy Hair

Upama Tamla Rai, ECCA Counselor

Head lice infestation is a common problem in school children worldwide bearing both medical and social implications. Besides causing difficulty in concentration and sleep, head lice are known not to have been associated with serious health risks and are not considered health hazards. However, the presence of head lice among students is more concerning due to its social, emotional and academic consequences including social boycott, psychological distress and unnecessary absenteeism in school.

To address and solve this issue, the program “Beautiful Hair Weeks’’ has been introduced by ECCA in various parts of Nepal. The presence of head lice is prevailing both in rural and urban areas. One of the recent Beautiful Hair Weeks program was conducted in 14 schools of ward no. 12 and 13 of Rapti Municipality, Chitwan. The program focused both on school students and households.  Out of 1,217 students who were surveyed,894 students (i.e. 73.5%) were detected with head lice.

“Through this program, we aim to positively change the perception and reaction of students, teachers and the community towards head lice”, shared Suresh Nagarkoti, an ECCA Counselor involved in the program.

The approach of the program was to first orient the parents and teachers on head lice, their life cycle and, most importantly, the impacts of head lice and the need to get rid of them. Secondly, the orientation also included details on the anti-head lice solution, its ingredients and its application process. A practical demonstration was conducted on making this solution by using salt, vinegar and glycerol.

“We never took head lice as a serious issue before this”, shared one of the parents. “But, after attending the orientation and hearing about the consequences our children have had to face in schools and communities, I now regard head lice removal as a vital issue, which can also ensure smooth attendance of our children in school.”  

The orientation was followed by applying anti-head lice solution among the infected students above 3 years of age for 3 consecutive weeks (at an interval of 1 week). Before the application, parents’ consent was also obtained. The solution was not applied to those students having wound on their head.

“We are thankful to ECCA and all the supporters for taking the initiative in such a critical issue” the students responded at the end of the program.

Anti-head lice solution was provided also for 580 households for use among other family members and non-school going children, which benefitted 1,129 beneficiaries. 

ECCA is thankful to Antenna Foundation, Switzerland for the technical knowledge and action medeor, Germany and BMZ, Germany for financially supporting the implementation of this initiative in Chitwan district.

anti head lice solution making

Combing hair after applying anti head lice solution

Before application of anti head lice solution

After application of anti head lice solution

Collection head lice!

Happy child attending school after head lice removal

Orientation for parents