Classroom Supplies
WWEP is committed to providing educational resources that meet the needs of the teachers and students. In addition to supporting individual students through sponsorships, WWEP provides financial support for educational resources including furniture, teaching materials and student supplies. We provide the schools with sustainable resources, allowing for the modernization of equipment and a consistent flow of supplies. Donations will be facilitated by local Nepali charitable organizations to establish and fulfill the most pressing needs of the teachers and the students.
Rural Schools in Villages and Other Remote Areas
Many schools in small villages and rural communities are extremely limited in their education resources, both in physical supplies and in faculty appointments. WWEP has entered into a partnership with Sindhu Utthan Kendra to provide supplies for the eight schools in the small village of Sipapokhare, located a three hour drive from central Kathmandu. Most of these schools struggle with a meager amount of books, lesson plans and writing implements. Many classrooms function without any form of furniture and a few are required to meet outdoors due to lack of classroom space. Executive Director Steve Mannshardt first toured the village in March 2012 to see first hand the conditions under which these rural students are expected to learn. From that point, the Nepali partner organizations assessed the greatest needs based on family incomes and class sizes. Materials are produced in the capital of Kathmandu and then shipped via motorcycle to the remote villages located along small mountain roads and trails.
Our support for children in rural areas has also extended into assistance for the schools that were damaged by the earthquakes of April 2015 by allowing greater numbers of supplies to become available on short notice. Following the recent earthquakes, supplies were distributed to nearly three times the previous number of students due to the widespread hardship and the damage sustained to stored materials.
WWEP provides funding to Sindhu Utthan Kendra Nepal, with which they are able to supply book bags, lesson plans and writing implements for as many as 350 children in the impoverished village of Sipapokhare.
Our partnership with Kids of Himalaya provides similar supplies to 40 children in the hillside village of Mendo near the Tibetan border. Prior to the arrival of WWEP in 2012, the village of Mendo had received zero funding or support from any international NGO working in Nepal.
Schools in urban areas of Nepal, such as the capital of Kathmandu, tend to fare better than their rural counterparts. The closer proximity to needed resources and a higher daily visibility make these schools more subject to support. However many of these funded schools still have limitations and often focus only one the basic subjects. Courses in culturally specific subjects such as music, dance and art are typically not funded in any way. This can leave students feeling a lack of identity with Nepal and disconnected from their heritage. WWEP supports numerous liberal arts classes including music, dance and fine art with both materials for the courses and with salaries for instructors in these subjects.
Urban Schools Located Within the Greater Kathmandu Valley
Photo: Bidur Bhattarai