We are excited to report that our work in Nepalgunj, Patan, Sankhuwasabha, and Sunsari went above and beyond expectations in the 2015-2016 academic year! Below are the results of our annual review of each location in which we work.

Each academic year, we review our accomplishments to plan our activities for the next year. As a result of these reviews, we sometimes scale down our work in a given location. Often the reason for this is a desire to maintain effectiveness, reporting, and credibility as we take below-standard results very seriously. Conversely, we sometimes increase the number of students in a location based on annual review results. In this case, we have found that the results of that area exceeded expectations and we have been able to create a credible plan to support more students. Student performance is one of our key indicators in these reports.

 

Nepalgunj
School attendance was 90-100% for most students. Our volunteers completed and filed 75+% of the regular update reports. The periodic reporting forms indicate that the children are happy to be in school. Most teachers have marked the students’ work as “satisfactory” with one student who had two consecutive “needs improvement” reports. The parents were very happy and almost all the feedback received indicate that they appreciate the support provided by NCEF. Our volunteers have also requested some private tuition for students who are struggling in Math and Science. Both students and volunteers are excited about our annual picnic. We are very impressed with how our students and volunteers are doing and we are recommending additional students to our Nepalgunj program.

Patan
The devastating earthquakes of April and May 2015 had a direct effect on the school, volunteers, and students of Patan. The school building collapsed entirely, meaning that there was no student progress to report on for the first 3-4 months of the school year. The school finally got up and running with a temporary arrangement, although some students also had their homes destroyed. The parents in this area have greatly appreciated our support through this difficult time.

In addition, 80% of the reports indicate that volunteers and teachers are satisfied with student performance, with the exception of one student whose home was destroyed and has been struggling in several subjects. Although the reporting is understandably below expectation, the resilience we have seen in this area has led us to look into adding a few students to our program in this area.

Sankhuwasabha
We received more than 80% of reports last year, which we are happy with despite some reports being incomplete. This year’s goal will be to improve this number. Some students were absent up to 9 days in two months due to illness or having to help around the house. Volunteers are encouraging parents to send their children to school regularly and to look into private tutoring so that students may catch up on school work. Still, students are happy to be going to school according to reports. This year we will recommend a further increase in NCEF students in this area with a focus on providing more training and guidance to volunteers as well as extending hours for students to complete homework and participate in sports.

Sunsari
Sunsari is our largest area and sent over 80% of reports on time. Most students are attending regularly despite brief school closings during and after the earthquakes. Several of our high school students also volunteered up to 200 miles away from their homes to help rebuild villages. During the government strikes, schools would open early in the morning and students would arrive without their uniforms, in addition to taking other precautions, to avoid unwanted attention from strike organizers.

Over half of these reports mention students being involved in crafts and singing, but very few are involved in sports such as soccer. The parents of these students appreciate these opportunities for their children. Teachers have recommended private tutoring for some students as some students have had difficulty understanding Nepali, the language of instruction in most schools. These students and their parents speak different local dialects at home.

As you can see, we are adding students across locations and we are very pleased with the progress, dedication, and resilience of our students and volunteers. Thank you for helping NCEF facilitate the gift of education to our students in need!