Angeles Fund for education of young women in Nepal Angeles Bermudez Svankvist together with Tuki Nepal Society Sweden

Higher education in Nepal is expensive – very expensive! For most of the young people in Nepal it is not possible to even think about getting education in the university. It is not only school fees, school uniforms and books that have to be bought. It is also travel cost and living cost that has to be paid for. And if you happened to be born woman - then it will be even less chance of getting higher educa- tion. If a family has the opportu- nity to send one of their children to university, they will choose the boy of the family. A girl will get married anyway and then has to take care of the family – so she doesn´t need any education.

Angeles Fund started 2008 with the purpose of helping young Nepali women to get education. Durga Sapkota and Sushila Khadka were the first two girls that were selected. To be selected for higher education the girls has to -Be talented enough to manage higher education - Be really motivated for study -Have the support of their families -Their families should not be able to pay for the education themselves The girls were selected after recommendation from their teachers in school. Durga started a 3-year long education for being a nurse and has today a good job on one of the big hospitals in Kathmandu. Sushila choose to study economy but didn´t finish her exam because of falling in love and got married. She and her husband are now running a small shop and Sushila has good use of her economy education.

Anita Dhaunya has been sponsored by Tuki Nepal Sweden since she was in 5th class. She was, according to her teacher, the most talent pupil they ever had in that school – but after class 5 she was supposed to finish as her parents couldn´t afford having her in school anymore. She became one of the first sponsor students for Tuki Nepal and when she finished class 10 Angeles Fund took over and sponsored her for high school. Anita got a job as an supplement teacher in her old school and works there while studying. She has almost completed her education in teaching.

Since 2012, the priority for Angeles Fund has been to sponsor girls for high school. Most of the girls are getting their high school education out in their villages but some are studying in Kathmandu. The high school education is much cheaper than studying in the university and the education is availiable in small towns and villages. We focus on letting the girls study in the villages is because as soon as young people goes to the cities they never want to go back to the rural area – and the rural area needs educated women! Bina och Rupa will soon finish their high school education in the village.

Until 2014, 20 girls have been able to get higher education sponsored by Angeles Fund and Tuki Nepal. One of the girls have been paying back by working in her village as a teacher. Two other students who are studying to become a Dental Hygienist and Health Assistant will pay back by working at least two years in the Health Post that Tuki Nepal is running in the Jyamrung village. With full payment, of course! It is difficult to get educated people to the rural area.

Today, Angeles Fund is sponsoring girls in both high school level and in University. Nima Gurung, was first studying in high school and is now in her last year of the journalist education. She is also taking extra classes for work in the tourist branch. “It is impossible to make a living of journalism if you don´t have very good contacts. I will write about the unfair society in Nepal”, she says. Nima has been working in a home for elderly people at the same time as she has been studying.

Srijana Tamang is already a midwife. She was working two years in a small Health Post far up in the mountains and realized that she should have time to do more for the villagers. And as the tooth status is really very bad in the villages, she wants to complete her education for being a Dental Hygienist as well.. Babita Shrestha is studying high school in Kathmandu, even though she is coming from a village. Babita has big plans for the future – she wants to be a Doctor. Because of that she has to study in the best of schools for getting a chance to get into the Doctors Education. “A school in the village is not good enough”, she says.

Those girls that has got the possibility to study with help from Angeles Fund are very happy about the chance they have got. Every girl, except one, has taken very good care of this oppor- tunity.

Gyana Dawadi (on the left) will have much better opportunites than her mother, that recently learnt how to read and write ever had. Women out in the rural area are very well aware about what education means to their daughters and their future life. Do you want to help sponsoring more girls for education? Donate to Swedish bankgiro , Tuki Nepal Society, Sweden. Give us your mail address and to get updates from our projects!