Background Information
Chepangs are one of
the most marginalised indigenous groups of 59 officially identified indigenous
ethnic communities of Nepal. They are inhabitants of steep sloppy marginalized land of Dhading, Chitwan, Makwanpur and Gorkha districts of Nepal. Chepangs are
ancient tribal people who have their own socio-economic and cultural
characteristics and are from the Mongoloid group. They are one of the deprived,
disadvantaged and marginalized groups of the indigenous people of Nepal. They
are still in semi nomadic stage struggling for survival and basic rights that
every human being should have got.
Newspaper Articles: please click the link below to see about Chepang community.
Abstract
Immediate cause of
vulnerability for Chepangs is their lack of education. The Nepal Chepang
Association (NCA) reported that more than three quarters of all Chepangs are
illiterate and that only one percent of Chepang women know how to read and
write, compared to the national average of around 50 percent.
The remoteness of Chepang settlements is regarded as one of the main reasons
behind these low literacy rates. Most Chepang villages have only a primary
school and students need to travel four to five hours every day, usually over
sloped and difficult terrain, to attend secondary level schools. Due to a lack
of financial means, few Chepang students can afford to stay in hostels closer
to educational facilities. Even though secondary education is officially free
in government schools, some School Management Committees are said to collect
fees, making higher education unaffordable to most Chepang students.
A general lack of awareness of the importance of education among Chepang
parents and the high prevalence of illiteracy also constitute a big obstacle
for the education of their children. Faced with serious challenges in
maintaining their livelihoods, many Chepang parents take their children out of
school to help with household, agricultural and wage work. As a result, the dropout
rate is very high among Chepang school children.
One Chepang Child Sponsorship Program will help our Chepang Children to
continue their education after grade 5 in Shree Antyodaya JanajatiAwasiya
Vidhyalaya. This will help them to get educated and aware about the social,
political and general rights that every citizen should get being Nepali in
Nepal.
Let
us be a part of Self Sustaining Campaign to support Chepang Community and make
them self reliant as the education is the greatest thing in life. Sponsoring
one child from your side will be the biggest contribution to the Chepang
community. It will change the whole dimension of that Chepang Family. If a
child is educated it will obviously help them to get aware about their basic
fundamental rights and educate the entire family. Same child can be a backbone
for the family to earn and support the whole livelihood of that family.
The major reason
behind Chepang children going off the school is due to their incapability in
attending grade 6 after their primary level education. so if we could support
these children from grade 6 to SLC ( School Leaving Certificate Level) it
will help in one way or the other. If we could support these children’s
and make our own group of wise people we can mobilize them in community
upliftment in near future.
Mission: Educating at
least one Chepang child from every household of Korak VDC Jimling ward no 3.
About the Project
The major reason
behind Chepangs lagging behind is due to education. If we could enlighten some
member of the chepang community they will obviously be a role model in the
community and help in the community upliftment. so the main focus of this
project is to educate chepang children. The simple process to educate the
Chepang child is to sponsor a child annually in Government school.
HOW DOES THE ONE CHEPANG CHILD SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM WORK?
(i)
How are students selected?
The sponsorship will be based on
merit that children’s achieve in their results. Top 10 students from grade 4
based on their final examination will be selected and write their case studies,
through home visits, consulting neighbors and only one will be selected from
the whole group. We assign women's groups to select students from their midst,
whom they think are particularly needy or deserving of being sponsored. This
process will select only one of the meritorious as well as needy students from that
community school so as to make the Chepang child sponsorship worth spending in
Chepang Community. We accept both boys and girls.
(I) Can I sponsor a girl child please
Yes, girls are at a
particular disadvantage in Nepali society, but we cannot promise you a girl.
Members of our women’s groups fully understand the need to educate be girls,
and choose girls and boys in equal numbers, because everyone has the right to
an education. We have decided to respect the women’s choices and we seem to get
an equal number of boys and girls to be sponsored.
(ii)
How long is my
commitment?
The sponsor promises to support
the child for five years beginning from grade 6 - until the child has
passed the SLC- the national school leaving exam given after 10th grade. This
is a 5 year contract.
(iii)
What is my Cost?
As
a sponsor you will be asked to contribute $150, on March 1st as the new
sessions of Nepalese students begins on month of April. To sign up for
this year, Contact Bishwas Chepang.
$30 covers the cost for this year
for administrative costs like going for field visits, collecting data, case
studies, printing, printing photos etc. for whole 5 year $750 is spent on
child.
(iv)
How
is my contribution spent?
The School will use
the sum to pay for school uniform, supplies, and if applicable tuition, and
good nutrition and clothing. The rest of your contribution is a stipend to the
family as encouragement to send the child to school instead of work.
15% of your
sponsorship fee is kept aside for administration.
The selected students will enroll in school
from grade 6.
Grade/
Class
|
Amount invested to
Children
|
Saving
|
Remarks
|
6
|
$130
|
$20
|
We will purchase
cycle for the student with the saved amount at grade 9 as he/she has to go to
another school to study.
|
7
|
$130
|
$20
|
|
8
|
$130
|
$20
|
|
9
|
$150+Bicycle
|
||
10
|
$150
|
||
(v)
How can I follow my Child?
You will receive an
update on your child twice a year as well as photos, and if at all possible,
letters. Our staff in Kathmandu visits your child four times a year, when the
family receives one quarter of the annual stipend. Our staff member meets with
the child the family and the school to assess your child’s progress and the
family situation. If there are problems our staff member tries to help solving
them and acts as a resource. She or he also takes pictures and assists with
letter writing. A short report is prepared after each visit.
(vi)
How can I establish a
personal connection to my child?
You are encouraged to
write letters telling her/him about yourself, your family and your world,
monetary assistance is also welcome. You will also be taken to their home
visits during your preferred vacations and experience rural setting and
marginalized indigenous Chepang cultures. You will be assisted by our members
for trekking, sightseeing, and given information’s about indigenous knowledge’s
information’s practiced in Chepang Community.
(vii)
How do I get started
on my Sponsorship?
Upon sending in your
contribution, you will receive photos and a profile of the child and the family.
The amount of detailed information we have on each family and child at this
point varies a great deal.
(viii) Where do we enroll our
Chepang Child?
Click The Link Below:
SHREE ANTYODAYA JANAJATI AWASIYA VIDHAYALAYA is a boarding school that
supports Chepang children from the hilly regions, indigenous tribe’s people's
children, to get an education, as well as food and lodging, medication and
clothing. There are currently 180 children residing here and classes run from 2
to 8. After grade 8 the children go to another school in nearby area to get
their SLC (School Leaving Certificates) with which they can then go on to
college. Grade 8, 9 and 10 students are fully supported by the school for
their food, lodging, and medication.
Location:
Antyodaya Janajati
Awasiya Vidyalaya is located in Khairahani VDC ward no: 1, Karaiya , Chitwan .
It is 1.5 km North , from Parsa, the nearest town.
History:
This school was established by the late Kishor Chandra Dhungana in 2000 an
inhabitant of the same VDC. The main purpose of the founder was to established
the school and thus help to raise the social, financial, educational and
political status of the indigenous children from the Chepang community.
Late Kishor Chandra Dhungana spent his valuable life serving the poor and
indigenous people. He studied in Banarash, India in a time where not many
primary schools where available to children.
A kindhearted person, he wanted to contribute to the indigenous community and
his country, Nepal.
He focused his attention on the Chepang community because of their inability to
access education due to their location in the hilly and remote villages. The
Chepang community is to this day unfamiliar with the development of society ,
their country and the world.
When the children were initially brought to the new founded school in Karayia,
their parents were doubtfull of the intentions. It took some time for the
Chepang community to place their trust in the schools good intentions and that
only came after they witnessed the results.
Today the school is run by Mr. Dilip Singh Dhungana, who took to the reigns
after the sudden death of the founder.
Students from Lother, Korak , Siddhi, and Kaule join this schoolevery year to
get an education.
Shree Antyodaya Janajati Awasiya Vidyalaya school for Chepang children has
become a symbol of hope for the Chepang people,who are now able to rejoice
seeing their children grow up like all other children and dare to dream of the
opportunities that will open up for them in their very bright futures.
Although some NGOs and INGOs are financially assisting this school, the funds
are not sufficient to cover the needs. We are unable to buy the clothes needed
because we don’t have sufficient funds. We are unable to provide stationery
materials like note books, practice books, pens, pencil even the text books on
time. Our students don’t get the medical treatment for various ailments because
it is too expensive.
Our teachers are getting
a very minimal salary. We are all aware of the numerous calls for help
that reach you but still hope that our case will merit your favorable
consideration. Whatever help that you may care to grant will be of immense
value to the community on their difficult path to get out of the vicious cycle
of destination.
You are all heartily invited to visit our school and see the progress and
results as well as the happy faces of our students for yourself.
Phone number: 00977+ 056 - 582020
Separate Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) has to be signed between four Parties: They are
ü Sponsors
ü Parents
ü School
ü Bishwas Chepang/ Self Sustaining Campaign for Chepang Community
My Bio:
My name
is BishwasChepang and I was born on 30/06/1992. I was brought up in a single
parent family as my mom left me when I was 4yrs old. As luck would have it,
late Shree KishorKajiDhungana opened a first school; Shree
AntyodayaJanajatiAawasiyaVidhayalaya (community School) for chepangs. Learning
Nepali was second language for me as we spoke our own Chepang language in the
jungles. The when I was in 4th grade I won a prestigious scholarship from
Pestalozzi Overseas Children’s Trust (POCT-UK) to study in the Nations best
school, Budhnilkantha School with full scholarship in 2002. I completed my
A-level in 2011. If you should ever have a moment to be proud in the miracle of
education, then this is it. I am your living proof. This is my typing it via
computer and trying to contact you. I am currently an Undergraduate student
trying to get a degree in Social works. I expect to complete will complete my
Bachelors this year from K and K College in New Baneswor, Nepal. My Bachelors
education is supported by Miteree Foundation Nepal. I am working in
Underprivileged Children’s Educational Program (UCEP Nepal)Sanothimi,
Bhaktapur.
What
I do and why I do it:
I am a very proud Chepang. I believe in hard work. In fact we our people have
always been independent for as long as we know it. We respect our environment
and believe in self-sustenance and subsistence. We are paying a very heavy
price in the name of modernization with destruction of our environment and
climate change. I believe the solution is not more government hand out but a
private market oriented opportunities for us all to engage in the trade that we
can do and grow. We are taking one step at a time but it is very hard for us to
catch up because so very few among us are educated in our society. Protection
of our community is at a very critical stage and we have been the topic of
recent research both by our own sociologist and international anthropologists.
Knowing the plight of Chepang community
where I belong has been rewarding experience. I have been working as an
intermediary where I connect the organization to the community. This has been
helpful for the community in getting some kind of supports from NGOs/INGOs and
CBOs.
We have formed our own working circle
named : Self Sustaining Campaign for Chepang Community and have been working for
the welfare of the Chepang community.The recent initiation is on poultry
farming on Chepang community as an immediate income generational activity. This
has been one of the most effective projects that we carried out for the first
time since the age of Fables of Aesop. We as an entrepreneur have started
poultry farming in the village collecting the hatched chickens from the
villagers whom we had given in the initial phase free of cost.
The second program we are running is One
Chepang Child Sponsorship program where a Chepang child is sponsored by the
interested sponsors for certain period of time. The donation will be made $150
a year for a child. This will help a child to get education till School Leaving
Certificate Level (SLC) which is equivalent to end of Sophomore year in high
school in USA.
I belong to this
School and I have a strong attachment with this School which brought me up at
the age of 5. I learned to read and write at this School. I learned Nepali
language at this School.
I was selected to
Budhanilkantha School at when I was at grade at this school.
Knowing that school is
in dire state to run the school I have decided to help the school and the
children’s in both the way. Currently school has set a fixed deposit account
where school will run by the interest from it. So there isn’t possibility of
closure of School. Sponsoring a child can help the school in many ways. I was
also selected from this school by the seniors of Dilliraj Dai batch to enroll
in BNKS.
We have a Team; Self Sustaining Campaign For Chepang
Community under its registration process under Government act. We will be
working in a team lead by Ruskin Gautam in United States and Bishwas Chepang in
Nepal.
For more information
Ruskin Gautam (Chief Executive Director)
Self Sustaining Campaign
Caldwell University
United States of
America
Biswash Chepang (SEBS 125 D)
Ex student of Shree
Antyodaya Janajati Aawasiya Vidhayalaya
Contact number: +09779860128786
www.bishwaschepang.blogspot.com
www.bishwaschepang.wordpress.com
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