Provide Computer access and Vocational Training to youth in Dharan https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/proposals-2010/provide-computer-access-and-vocational-training-to-youth-in-dharan https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/@@site-logo/sitelogo-75x75.png

Provide Computer access and Vocational Training to youth in Dharan

Additional Information
Used for	The money will be utilized to build a computer lab. Computer Skills will be provided in the lab for women who are school drop-outs. Vocational skills training will be provided for youth of the community.
Benefits	The computer lab and training session will lead to employment of these women in various business centers. Our hope is to impact systemic change and will be instrumental in alleviating poverty for the families of the population served. The thrust of the program is empowering women and marginalized populations.
Proposal Description	The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth have been ministering to the people of Nepal since 1979. We were the third religious congregation to enter the then Hindu Kingdom of Nepal. Our activities in Nepal are  Provide day care facilities for the intellectually challenged children at Navjyoti Center, Kathmandu.  Navjyoti Centers in Kathmandu and Surkhet (Western Region) offer Women’s Training Programme for self employment and social awareness in order to uplift the social status of women.  Navjyoti Centers in Surkhet and Dharan offer health care facilities to the poor and the marginalized through mobile clinics.  Navjyoti Schools in Dharan and Surkhet offer formal education up to 12th and 5th classes respectively.  Apart from these sisters have been involved in Prison Ministry, work with women who are trafficked and abused, provide sanitation and drinking water facilities to the villages. Our contribution to the people of Nepal is wide and is born out of our commitment to make a difference in the lives of people we minister to. NAVJYOTI SCHOOL, DHARAN, established in 1988 is a Catholic Christian School under the management Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (registered as Nepal Nazareth Society) committed to work for justice in solidarity with the oppressed people, especially the economically poor and women and to care for the earth. This aim is realized through education, health services, pastoral care, social action and social services. The school is recognized by the Government of Nepal. Located at the eastern part of Nepal, Dharan is an ethnically diverse low-income community of people that mostly depend on its members who work as labourers in Gulf countries. We at Navjyoti cater predominantly to the displaced families who have left their safe shelter in the Himalayan Hills during the Maoist Insurgency. We ensure that our education is inclusive of technology-related services that aim to allow all people in our community to take advantage of the educational and economic opportunities created by information technologies. Navjyoti School seeks 45,575 USD to fund its building and furnishing of a Computer Lab. The Computer Center at Navjyoti will recruit women and young girls who are school drop outs so as to be trained in computer skills. The center also will have broad band connectivity to provide access for online learning facilities. We hope to  Help young girls and women acquire an employment skill so as to improve their standard of living  Keep women and youngsters from the clutches of drugs and trafficking agents by finding alternative way of living  Enable the families of these women and girls to have better living conditions and educational opportunities  This proposal aims to make women economically independent. In order to cultivate this willingness to learn about and utilize information technologies, we have developed an educational approach that incorporates the following elements:  Low student to teacher ratio: We work with an average of 25 young people at a time. This allows us to provide each student with individualized attention and allows each student to explore independently on a computer.  Employment based approach: Apart from technical skills, we also provide language skills to young girls and women which would help them find employment opportunities in the community.  Flexibility: Although we have learning objectives and lessons plans for all classes, we have the opportunity to explore issues that come up in the course of a class and to "deviate" from the curriculum when it is appropriate since we offer these programmes as non-formal education to the school drop outs and adults.  Technology as a tool: Although technology literacy is one of the goals of our classes, we believe that technology is a powerful enabling tool that can support critical thinking and other developmental skills. Thank you for your consideration of this request.