Name of Organization: Women Acting Together for Change (WATCH)
Country: Nepal
Project Title: "Educational Support for The Girl Children Who Missed Schooling"
Project Timeframe: 13 months (Starting in June 2005)
Location of Project: Rupandehi, Kapilvastu
Budget Amount: $ 9,000
NGO contact and website:
572/45 Ram Mandir Marga, Dhobi Khola, Battis Putali
GPO Box 1132
Kathmanu, Nepal
Phone/Fax: 977 1 4492644/4494653
Email: watchftp@wlink.com.np
Project's Primary Objective:
Strengthen formal and transitional education systems that encourage working children and those at risk of working to attend school.
Description of Organization:
Women Acting Together for Change (WATCH) is a non-profit organization registered with the Chief District Officer's Office (CDO) in Kathmandu in 1992 and the Social Welfare Council in 1993. WATCH has been working in three areas of Nepal. Rupandehi area covers some VDCs of Rupandehi district, and extending gradually towards Nawalparasi, Kapilvastu and Okhaldhunga districts. In this area WATCH is working with Sherpa, Magar, Rai,Tharu, Musehar, Kumal, Miya, Danwar and poor migrant populations. WATCH has formed 152 women's groups, which have formed their own federation. WATCH has been working in Rupandehi and Kathmandu districts with sex workers and their clients for behavior change intervention so that they can be protected from HIV and STI transmission. WATCH has found that most of the girls from these areas do not go to school because either they have to earn for the family or look after younger siblings and livestock. Their parents cannot pay their school fees or provide dresses and school materials as required, so they feel humiliated in schools. At the same time, they do not see relevance of schooling, so most drop out. Initially, WATCH started providing scholarships to four girls, and income generating skills and support to parents: the NGO now provides scholarship to 300 girl children. With support from Global Fund for Women, WATCH started a pilot project to start multi-grade non-formal classes for those girls (7-16 years) who had missed the opportunity to go to school.
Description of Project funded by CIRCLE:
WATCH's CIRLCE project will enrol 100 girl children in formal school, first teaching them in non-formal programs so that they can catch up with their peers and transferred to age-specific classes in the formal school. WATCH will also provide income generating skills to their parents through its own fund as match to the project so they will be able to live without the income of girl child. WATCH plans to use the following strategies to achieve the above objective:
- Survey of Needs/Perception and Area Mapping: This activity is done mainly to identify target girl children and clustering them, supporting parents, cooperating schools, and perception about schooling of the target girl children.
- Formation of Local Management Committees: A local management committee will be formed for each class with participation of representatives of parents, local women's groups, school management committee, teachers, and girl children.
- Classes for Girl-Children: Girls of age 7-16 years will be provided with education and literacy training in a multi-grade class conducted in consultation with families and girl participants based on time available to them. 100 participants will be educated and at least fifty percent of them will be able to join the formal schooling afterwards.
- Scholarship for Schooling: Even though primary and lower secondary schooling is supposed to be free, almost all levels of schooling involve fees. Children also need to buy text-books, materials, pens, pencils, school dress, etc. Many parents cannot afford these expenses. WATCH has created a scholarship fund that will contribute to expand such opportunities for needy and poor girl children. At least 50 girl children will be provided with scholarship under CIRCLE.
- Support to Cooperating Schools: The facilitators will be hired from cooperating schools in consultation with school management. As far as possible women teachers will be given preference. Such schools will receive modest support for furniture and other educational materials, and materials for resource center. WATCH will provide training on effective teaching and management. As most of the teachers in these schools are not trained, this will greatly help to improve the quality of teaching. Also, trainers and consultants will provide teachers on-the-spot coaching during their supervision, coaching and/or follow-up support visits.
- Development of Interactive Materials: Very few materials are available to conduct non-formal classes in Nepal. WATCH has been developing its own materials for functional literacy and post-literacy classes. WATCH will review available materials and use them if found relevant and useful. Besides, WATCH will develop all necessary materials based on action-reflection praxis. Such materials will not only be useful for these classes but also be useful for others.
- Teacher Training: WATCH will conduct training for facilitators to make them effective in teaching classes based on literacy methods. Periodic review will be conducted every two to three months as required. Other teachers from cooperating schools will be invited to join in these training and review sessions to improve their own methods and techniques of teaching.
The following outcomes can be expected:
- Interactive educational materials disseminated
- Curriculum for teacher training to conduct multi-grade classes
- Four trained teachers prepared
- 100 girl children able to join school, who might not have gone to schools at all
- 50 girl children able to join formal schooling
- Four resource centres initiated in the area
Project Targets (Common Indicators):
Enrollment: 100
Persistence: 100%
Transition: 50%
Completion: 50%
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