Sponsorship & Scholarship

Rationale
Programme Details
Criteria
Testimonies
Current Status

Rationale

GAN holds two core beliefs with regard to our sponsorship and scholarship programmes. Firstly, that all children, regardless of their gender, ethnicity or income-level, have the right to a basic education and, secondly, that students who excel should be given as many educational opportunities as possible. Our sponsorship and scholarship programmes seeks to directly tackle these issues.

Programme Details

At present GAN's supporters sponsor children in four different districts of Nepal. The sponsorship scheme costs just £10 per month (33 pence per day - less than the price of daily newspaper), and yet provides your chosen child with everything they could need for an education - books, pens, pencils, paper, uniform and much, much more. The money you give also goes towards paying for the direct costs of education such as tuition and examination fees.

As well as a small percentage going towards running this programme (for postage, photos, staff costs and so on), a percentage of your donation also goes towards the school at which your child studies. This might be spent on maintenance or repairs, or go towards the building of a new classroom, or perhaps towards one of the children's clubs a that school. This is because we believe that whilst it is important to support the individual, it is also important to support the school which they learn at.

In return for your £10 sponsorship per month, you will receive the following information each year:

• Annually one letter directly from your sponsored child
• A photograph of the child you're sponsoring with details about their family and circumstances
• A card at Christmas
• A school report and wherever possible updated photographs

Criteria

GAN has an all-too large database of children who require sponsorship NOW. These children come from a wide range of backgrounds, but they are all joined in their desire to go forward with their education. They will also fall into one or more of the following categories, which are the main criteria by which we prioritise the children in our working areas. The rationale behind each of these criteria is also explained.

• Orphans
  Despite a supportive family network, those children who have lost parents are often those most vulnerable when it comes to receiving an education. With state support for such children almost non-existent, their educational opportunities are also minimal.

• Girls
  Twice as many girls than boys do not attend primary school in Nepal, the primary reason for this being economic. And whilst Nepal is making strides towards gender parity, there are still pronounced differences which are even more extreme at the secondary and tertiary levels.

• Showing excellent academic promise
  For Nepal to progress and develop, it needs to harness the skills of its best and brightest - but these students are often simply not able to continue to as high a standard of education as they would like because of financial obstacles, thus denying Nepal its manpower needs.

• Underprivileged ethnic group
  Although prejudice on the grounds of caste and/or ethnic background has been outlawed for many years, it is nonetheless the case that centuries of history have rendered 'low caste' groups economically vulnerable. This means that . Moreover, the low-self esteem of many of these groups means that many of their members feel that education is not something they are allowed to pursue.

• Income-deprived family
  Sending a child to school costs a family not only in the additional financial burden of buying uniform, books, pens etc, but in the money which is lost through the child not working. However, without education, this vicious cycle of poverty is perpetuated, and affects those at the bottom the most.

Whilst GAN has its own priority list of students, potential sponsors are also welcome to choose to sponsor a child within one particular category if they so wish.

If you would like to make a difference in the life of a child in Nepal, please download a sponsorship form.

We are also able, for a small fee, to facilitate payment for individual children that you may know personally in Nepal. Please contact us if you are interested in this option.

Testimonies

VIEWS FROM SOME OF OUR SPONSORED CHILDREN

Sumana Shrestha

SUMANA says that she is very happy with her progress at school. Although she finds 'all the subjects a little difficult', she says that the 'teachers are very helpful and they teach us well.' She still has to help with some work in the fields when she finishes at school, but says that her parents are very supportive, and give her time off to study. She hopes to do very well in the next year.

Pemba Doma Sherpa

PEMBA has just passed all her examinations and says that she is 'doing fine.' She mentions Maths as her most difficult subject, but likes studying English very much. She says that she is especially pleased with her progress because her 'results are better than my brother's.' After school she likes going to the Young Star Club, helping her mother and also playing with her friends (though presumably not her brother!)

Sanu Kaancha Bishakarma

SANU, like Pemba, isn't a big fan of Mathematics. He is happy to be going to the Everest School, noting that the teachers are 'very hard-working' I have learned many good things beside books.' His favourite subject is Nepali. After school, Sanu likes playing football. In the school holidays, he helps his parents in their fields and goes to his uncle's house.

Diksya Shrestha

DIKSYA says that she is 'very grateful to my sponsor' as the scheme has enabled her to become a much better student. Of her parents she says, 'I get good support from them. They love me. My parents give me enough time for study.' Her most difficult subject is Nepali, and after school she likes going to the Young Star Club to learn dancing.

VIEWS FROM SOME OF OUR SPONSORS

David Humphreys & Sandra Rich

It was in December 1997 that we decided to sponsor two children from Nepal to give them an education and hopefully a chance for a better future.

We get an enormous amount of pleasure when we receive letters and photographs from 'our' boys Suba and Sanjiv. They both write eagerly to tell us how hard they are studying and send us school reports to prove it! They were seven years old when they began their education and we hope that they will be able to complete their ten year term.

The content of their letters is improving in leaps and bounds, not only their vocabulary and grammar, but the level of humour, and we are beginning to learn more about their lifestyle, homes and families. It is of course both rewarding and encouraging to receive kind comments from the parents.

Current Status

We currently have 80 children sponsored across Nepal, but we are always in need of new sponsors. If you would like to see some of the children who are currently awaiting sponsorship, please click here. We can also e-mail you details of a child who needs sponorship. If you would like to choose this options, please e-mail us.

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