Investing in the Lives of Nepal's Most Vulnerable Children https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/proposals-2019/investing-in-the-lives-of-nepals-most-vulnerable-children https://grants.dudleytdoughertyfoundation.org/@@site-logo/sitelogo-75x75.png

Investing in the Lives of Nepal's Most Vulnerable Children

Additional Information
Used for	A grant from the Foundation will provide funding for our SuMa After-School program, which supports the academic, physical, and mental well-being of 115 orphaned and disadvantaged children in Nepal. Specifically, the grant will be used to fund those areas that directly impact our students: classroom supplies and equipment, food, and teacher salaries.
Benefits	The work of SuMa ASP is about changing the trajectory of our students lives–helping them build brighter futures for themselves, their families, and their communities. Funding from the Foundation will support this effort by providing the educational enrichment and wraparound services our students need to achieve academically, and as they grow, become self-sufficient. Long-term, this individual improvement will lead to stronger, healthier communities that have broken cycles of poverty.
Proposal Description	Nepal is one of the world’s poorest countries. Following years of political and civil unrest, nearly 60% of the population lives on less than $2 a day. The combination of widespread poverty, high illiteracy rates, and unplanned pregnancies has led to increasing numbers of women and children living in extreme poverty. Children living in extreme poverty are at risk of being forced into child labor, working in the drug trade, being sold as an indentured servant or into the commercial sex trade. It is estimated that 20,000 children are trafficked from Nepal each year, and 200,000 Nepali girls are believed to be working in Indian brothels. Furthermore, studies indicate that the number of children trafficked has increased 40% following the devastating earthquakes of 2015. Education provides a barrier to trafficking, and a pathway out of poverty, but orphaned and vulnerable children are in need of more assistance than other students. They tend to lag behind their peers in cognitive development, language comprehension, social skills, and self-esteem; and most lack access to regular medical care and receive only minimum levels of nutrition. Launched in 2014, SuMa After-School (SuMa ASP) is the first program of its kind in Nepal. The program takes a holistic approach by supporting students’ academic, emotional, and physical well-being, and providing them the necessary tools for healthy development that they would not receive at home. The three-hour schedule of tutoring, recreation, and enrichment lessons is designed to improve academic outcomes, emotional well-being, and overall health. We use a combined Montessori/Waldorf/Reggio-based curriculum which offers an integrated approach to the world and its systems through experiential learning. The curriculum promotes literacy, numeracy, problem solving, STEM literacy, and creative thinking through hands-on, developmentally-appropriate activities. Students also enjoy art projects, music classes, and an outdoor play area, activities that are not part of their regular, primary school curriculum, but are known to improve educational outcomes. Additionally, all students receive a daily meal (often their most nutritious of the day), bi-annual medical and dental check-ups, weekly mental health counseling, and daily recreational exercise to promote health and well-being. The goals and anticipated outcomes of the program are as follows: Goal #1 - The participating children will demonstrate improved academic success. Anticipated Outcome: 90% of students will be promoted to the next grade and maintain an 80% or above grade average at the end of the school year. Goal #2 - The participating children will demonstrate improved emotional well-being, self-motivation, and interpersonal skills. Anticipated Outcome: 90% of students will score 90% or higher on socio-emotional self-evaluations and 70% or higher on teacher development evaluations each year. Goal #3 - The participating children will have access to healthcare and a healthy lifestyle. Anticipated Outcome: 100% of students will have up-to-date vaccinations and access to regular medical and dental care. The long-term impact intended by the program will be demonstrated by the following: • Children exhibit improved and lasting emotional and physical health. • Children are safe from criminal activity, drug-trade activities, and trafficking. • Children enroll in vocational training or higher education. • Children achieve financial independence in their transition to adulthood. We perform annual evaluations to assess the impact of the program on students’ academic, socio-emotional, and physical well-being. We are pleased to report, since our program launch in 2014, we have seen year-over-year improvements in all three areas. Furthermore, while we quantify our programs’ success by using the metrics described above, we also note successes our team is fortunate to witness each day. It is the example of Dristi and Ari, two girls who typically spend their time at SuMa ASP dancing rather than working on STEM related projects, but the week we introduced snap board circuity to their class, they decided to try something new. The girls loved the project and are now interested in learning more about science. It’s also the story of Nissam who, after a year in our program, was invited to participate in a National STEM camp with 48 other students from all over Nepal. The students participated in a number of challenging projects–including the design of miniature construction vehicles. Using the skills he developed at SuMa After-School, Nissam’s team won the "Best Design" award for their working prototype of a small multipurpose bulldozer. SuMa ASP is at the core of Sunsar Maya’s mission to “build pathways out of poverty by improving the livelihoods of disadvantaged children and women through holistic, community-based services,” and our goal of “creating a community that breaks the cycle of poverty by investing in, and supporting the well-being and success of, its most vulnerable members.” Our program offers students opportunities for long-term success–a chance to make positive changes in their own lives, and in their communities. Educated students are more likely to attain better jobs. Better jobs command increased salaries. Increased salaries lead to an investment back into their communities. Without support, the children in our program are destined to continue in cycles of poverty, trapped by circumstances beyond their control. SuMa ASP-Jorpati opened in 2014 and serves 55 children, ages 4-17. SuMa ASP-Mahalaxmi was launched in 2017 and serves 60 children, ages 6-12. Funding from the Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation will be impact both SuMa ASP sites, providing support for classroom equipment and supplies, teacher salaries, food, and rent.