The Chepang Project - Some Background
Updated 20th May 2020
By Tahlia Nakarmi
Over the last four years, I have had the privilege of watching these children grow up into young adults who understand their value and the impact that they can make in their world. It has been very exciting to watch.
Due to various circumstances, these kids have moved school four times in four years and they have handled each transition with grace and purpose. The Chepang tribe are notoriously shy and soft spoken making these annual changes immensely difficult however they have taken on each new year together as a team, supporting each other and working hard in their studies. They are all highly intelligent and actively participate in their classes.
During my time in Nepal; I have met many children throughout the country and not many have the same drive to upskill and educate themselves and then return back to their village. I am inspired by their desire to return to their homes and their eagerness to help develop their communities. There are so many opportunities for them to help with. Rural schools are in desperate need for teachers to educate the hundreds of children and to help build the school to grades greater than 5. These areas are desperate for medical staff as there are many burns, broken bones, infections, etc that are left untreated due to lack of financial resources and inability to reach health posts or hospitals. There is also a great need to teach adult Nepali literacy and numeracy so that as a community they can petition the government for development.
While we are working and helping in these communities we will always be outsiders because we do not fully understand their culture or even understand the Chepang language. Therefore, I truly believe that change will happen in these communities from the inside out. From the children bringing about development and awareness. To inspire other children of the community to work hard, better themselves and be open to the numerous opportunities that present themselves.
The previous organisation that was supporting these children was educating 27 children. Three of these children graduated year 10 in March 2020 of which one is expecting a full scholarship in civil engineering. Another child graduated year 10 in March 2019 and has already completed his first year in civil engineering. He has received a very prestigious full scholarship for the remainder of his degree including lodging and food.
These children are taking full advantage of this opportunity given to them and we would love to be able to continue to provide this opportunity to the remainder of the 23 children so that they can continue to soar above the limitations that are enforced on them in the village and then to inspire and encourage everyone else in the community to do the same.