In Nepal, most adolescents and young people live in rural areas (82%) with half of them in underdeveloped and underserved areas. A quarter of Nepali citizens live on less than $1 a day. Dalits, Muslims and indigenous communities are subjected to systematic discrimination and depend on low-income labour works that hardly meet their basic needs. Girls from these communities face an additional layer of discrimination due to the gender inequality embedded in social norms and perpetuated through policy and service delivery, which limits their access to education and is manifested in higher illiteracy and a higher school drop-out rate among girls.

Expected Results

Result 1: Poor and marginalized girls are capacitated to continue education in formal schools via the Udaan centres.

Result 2: Families and local communities have an increased understanding of the need of equitable access to education for girls.

Result 3: School Management Committees and Child Clubs of local public schools (mother schools) promote a child friendly environment for adolescent girls at school.

Main Activities

• Establishment of 8 Udaan centres with 25 adolescent girls in each centre
• Capacity building of teachers on Udaan pedagogy and approach
• Training of adolescent girls using the Udaan curriculum and follow up on their enrolment and continuity in formal schools
• Development of girls’ leadership using extracurricular activities and peer support like the Udaan Friends initiative
• Training of Udaan girls on Youth Savings and Loans Associations
• Provide mobile phones to Udaan girls for virtual learning and off-hour learning consultations with teachers
• Establishment of parent groups
• Parenting and gender transformative sessions for parents
• Engagement with community groups and conduct of reflection and awareness raising sessions on girls’ education
• Design and implementation of social campaigns led by the Udaan girls
• Identification of gaps at schools through the Community Score Card process with engagement of representatives from municipalities and the schools
• Training for School Management Committees (SMC) on the School Improvement Plan
• Training and assistance to SMCs and Child Clubs for the effective implementation of the grievance handling mechanism and the improvement of the learning environment in schools