Women

The parent's role

We consider parents as key actors. Just as our teachers in school they are the ones who have the biggest influence on the children and can guide their way by being a good example. Therefore we invite all parents to come to school at least six times a year in order to discuss not only the development of their child, but also their own role in this process.

Through these discussions we became aware of a problem that was crucial for the education of our students. Due to a traditional preference of boys in Nepali culture only 39% of all women know how to read and write. This leads to extremely limited opportunities for their employment and low wages. In many cases it is not possible for families to feed themselves if there is no additional income, and so their children have to work and cannot go to school.

Women's Project

In 2005 TOIT established a knitting and sewing project to give the families of our students an opportunity to be self-sufficient and save for the future. In the project included is a savings plan. We pay the women the same amount per piece as they would earn through a local company. In addition, we contribute 10% of the retail sales price to a savings plan that is available to them for emergencies or to finance their children's future educational needs.

If you are interested in more detailed information about the current status of the project please have a look at our recent progress report. Currently the project provides part time work for 4 women. You can help us make this work available to more families by buying some of their handmade products and getting yourself a personal piece of Nepal!