Inclusive and Accountable Schools is a cooperation project of Loo Niva Child Concern, Patan Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) and Interpedia Finland Ry. The project, running from 2017 to 2020, works in South Lalitpur, which suffers from a low rate of public schools and was hard hit by the earthquakes in the spring 2015. This project builds on previous co-operation between Loo Niva and Interpedia, with a new partnership with Patan CBR adding expertise in children with disabilities.
Previous work aimed to contribute to strengthening efficient and effective school and local education governance mechanism in South Lalitpur. This project is focused on promoting inclusive and accountable schools as well as advancing the realization of the right to education for marginalized children, who face discrimination particularly due to disabilities or the caste but also due to gender and ethnicity. The goal to increase inclusion of these vulnerable groups of children will be achieved by identifying and finding excluded children; providing material and financial support that sustains enrolment to school; sensitizing, training and rising awareness about rights, needs and potential of marginalized children among children, parents and teacher; improving school governance and using local media for raising awareness of the importance of education for all children.
The three organizations involved have versatile expertise of both advancing the right to education, improving governance and advancing the involvement of children from margin groups, for instance children with disabilities and Dalits (lower-cast) children. Moreover, the project has been designed with consultation of children, local communities and authorities for ensuring engagement of the local communities as well as the most effective implementation of the project in promoting the right to education. From the beginning, the project has been planned in collaboration with local and national level authorities, other NGOs and community groups, for ensuring the sustainability and continuity of the good results of the project.
The project will be located to the VDCs Ashrang, Gimdi, Thula Durlung, Malta and Pyutar including State No. 3. The straight beneficiaries of the project will be 500 excluded children, 100 children with disabilities, 1000 parents of Dalit children, 150 parents of children with disabilities, more than 100 teachers, more than 100 community leaders and more than 100 government officials and civil society leaders. In addition to that, this project will benefit indirectly wider group of people, especially children, through to improved practices and changes in attitudes throughout the society.
