CAIRN Educational Awards
Background
All schools in Nepal require each pupil to provide their own uniform, and supplies, as well as pay examination and school fees (secondary level), for many families. With over 43% of the population in Nepal living below the poverty level, for most rural families, it is a choice between eating and an education. Girls have less to education than boys due to economic and cultural bias. Girls that do attend school often leave before the age of 12 to care for younger siblings or to help with household chores. However, the benefits of educating girls are huge: families of literate mothers have higher standards of hygiene, lower birth rates and an increased likelihood of future generations of children going to school.
What is The CAIRN Trust Doing?
The CAIRN Trust is working to alleviate this financial burden from some of the poorest families so their children can attend school. The CAIRN Educational Award is a recurring grant which provides each child with a uniform (clothing, backpack and shoes), basic school supplies(books, pencils, bag, rubbers etc), and fees for the duration of their education. These items are delivered twice a year to the children via our partners in Nepal. Importantly, their performance and attendance is monitored quarterly, both at home and at school by social workers. Two hundred children of which, over 50% are girls started receiving a CAIRN Educational Award from May 2008 in the villages of Pelkachour and Samibhanjyang.
Due to poverty, 35% of children who start school at 6 years old will have dropped out by the age of 10
(DFID)
Future Plans
Trained social workers have identified approximately 400 children who would significantly benefit from an Educational Award. Unfortunately we have not been able to help them all. It is a challenging, and heart-wrenching decision deciding who should receive our support. In future we hope to expand this program so support can be extended to all of the poorest families seeking an education. Over the next five years, our goal is to help at least 1,500 through our CAIRN Educational Awards.
