Dear Supporter
I've had a busy few months here in Nepal and I'm pleased to say that work in the schools is going really well. The teachers are much more motivated and it's rubbing off on the children, which is making the classroom a more inspiring place for them to be, all thanks to your support. The tragic floods of a couple of months ago have gone, and in their place, the more manageable monsoon rains have restored the landscape to a lush green.
Nepal’s vulnerable children 
Children make up over forty percent of Nepal's population. I see many hungry children in the schools, which is something I rarely witnessed in the UK. On top of that, children here receive just two to three years of schooling on average, compared to over nine years in the UK, and most find themselves forced into the world of work from a very young age.
Girls from poor families are expected to look after their brothers and sisters and share the responsibility of running the home. Then, especially if they're not in school, they are often married off at a young age - even as young as 13 - to start their own family. Early marriage and pregnancy puts a girl's health in terrible danger as well as jeopardising her basic rights and independence.
So it's especially important that the children and their parents see the value of education. I'm going to show you here how your kind support is helping these girls, and also the vulnerable children from the low-caste Dalit community.
“They’re not ‘lazy’, they’re hungry”
I often hear teachers call some of the children 'slow' or 'lazy' when they don't do well in class, or when they seem to lack concentration. But usually, when a child seems tired or disinterested, it's because they're exhausted from not having enough to eat at home. Girls particularly can be overtired from having to do household chores.
So I've been encouraging the teachers to replace the words they use for these children by gently reminding them that the children are most likely 'hungry', not lazy.
That means the teachers can help these children with a more accurate understanding of the child's needs in the first place, which motivates them more than seeing themselves trying to deal with a 'lazy' pupil.
Uniforms for Dalit children
Dalits make up the poorest community in Nepal, and the children can feel especially isolated at school. I work alongside the Nepal National Dalit Social Welfare Organisation, who fights to end caste discrimination, and they've been visiting families to find ways that together we can support their children to gain an education.
In the last two months, we've been setting up pre-school 'homework clubs' so that Dalit children can dedicate some time to their studies, and we've helped some very marginalised families buy uniforms, notebooks, and pencils. This has made their child’s poverty less noticeable in the classroom and I've seen how it's helped to reduce their shyness and feeling of isolation in class.
‘Naughty’ parents! 
I had a bit of a shock in the last few weeks. I could barely believe it when I saw parents getting a real telling-off when their children did badly in exams.
Parents - usually the poorest parents who didn't have a good education themselves - are hauled into school and criticised for not doing enough for their child's education.
Back home we hold frequent parents' evenings to discuss a child's progress, and throughout the year we keep in regular contact, often even chatting to parents when they come to collect their child at the end of the day. By contrast, teachers barely have any constructive relationship with parents here.
This practice of telling-off in Nepal is an especially distressing process. It makes these marginalised parents feel even less welcome at school, so they're even less inclined to keep their child there. I wanted to see if there was a way I could change this.
Supporting parents, not shaming them
To help improve relationships between parents and teachers, I've started running parents' workshops and giving tips on how to help their children with homework. I show them simple games they can play with their child and talk about the importance of making learning fun and rewarding. And I’ve made sure the teachers join in too.
I’m pleased to tell you that the teachers have really enjoyed getting to know the parents and are happy to be offering support rather than criticism. So now, we're all looking forward to seeing the progress in the children's learning over the coming months.
Your kindness is the key
Now that we've started to build more positive relationships between teachers, children and parents, I'm sure we’ll gradually see more children turning up for school each day, and doing better in their exams.
Thanks to your support, the schools I’m working with are opening up opportunities for these children and their families too. We’ve a long way to go still, especially for the hungriest of these children, but thank you – I hope you can see the difference that your kind donations are already making here in Nepal.
Until next time
Beth
