@unicefnepal

class="content__text" "I enjoyed being part of the classes so much. I was learning about so many different things, things I had no idea about before.” Sahira from Saptari had never been to school in her entire life. Most of her childhood was spent doing domestic chores, taking care of her grandmother, and aiding her parents – agricultural wage-workers both – in whatever way she could. It was only following her engagement in the Rupantaran programme, which included sessions on micro-entrepreneurship, that Sahira felt she too could become an entrepreneur. Today, she is using her skills to run a small tailoring business and helping to boost her family’s finances. "I like that I’m contributing to my family’s earnings,” Sahira says. “They’re happy, I’m happy.” The #Rupantaran life skills approach was developed by UNICEF and UNFPA in collaboration with the Government of Nepal, with a focus on reaching youth from excluded or vulnerable groups, or communities facing specific socio-economic obstacles. The Global Programme to End Child Marriage is implemented with generous funding support from the Governments of Belgium, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK, the European Union and Zonta International. #EndChildMarriage #GPECM #ForEveryChild @gpchildmarriage

February 18, 2023

class="content__text" Children and young people's voices are key to shaping the future of digital technologies 🧒🏽👧🏿🌐. Enter the U-Report platform and send "DIGITAL" to join the conversation: Messenger: https://bit.ly/DigitalMSG WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/DigitalWAP Viber: https://bit.ly/DigitalVBR

February 17, 2023

class="content__text" Massive🙏to the Government of Germany 🇩🇪 for the generous donation of 1.5 million #COVID19 vaccines to Nepal through the COVAX Facility, and the support this has provided to the country's ongoing vaccination efforts. The COVAX Facility is part of the ACT-Accelerator, and brings together several key partners such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, WHO and UNICEF to ensure efficient and equitable global allocation of COVID-19 vaccines. UNICEF Representative to Nepal Ms. Elke Wisch thanked the Government and people of Germany for contributing these life-saving vaccines to Nepal. “Germany has been a generous partner in not just ensuring access to COVID-19 vaccines but also in supporting Nepal to procure cold-chain equipment to ensure safe delivery of these doses to communities,” Ms. Wisch said.

February 16, 2023

class="content__text" Just two years ago, the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities at the Nepal Rashtriya Basic School in Mugu District in remote Karnali were in a dismal state, barely usable. These conditions were especially hard on the pupils with disabilities, who comprise over 20% of the student population at the school. To address this, UNICEF and local partner Chay-Ya Nepal – with generous funding support from the Government of Norway – worked to upgrade toilet, water supply and handwashing facilities at the school. This included the construction of child-, gender- and disabled-friend (CGD) toilets, with the girls’ toilets also equipped with incinerators for easier disposal of sanitary pads. And with the school now connected to regular water supply, handwashing stations were installed in strategic locations. To ensure that the changes would be long-lasting, a school WASH management sub-committee was formed, and the child club mobilized to monitor the WASH situation at the school, identify gaps and needs, and develop and implement plans of action. The school has also set up a WASH management fund to cover the operation and maintenance of facilities and appointed a teacher as the focal point to lead the overall coordination of activities. “We’re in a much better place now,” says head teacher Dilip Kumar Shahi. #norwayinnepal

February 16, 2023

class="content__text" 📕📗📘📙📒 Books on the move: Over 100 schools in the Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces have received handy new ‘mobile bookcases’ through an EU-UNICEF initiative to support the Government of Nepal’s #COVID19 education response. So far, 300 such bookcases have been provided to the schools. Owing to their portability, these bookcases are useful in setting up effective reading spaces for children in schools and communities. #LearningContinuity #LetMeLearn @euinnepal #NSET #EducationalPages

February 16, 2023

class="content__text" #ForEveryChild, enough love to last a lifetime 💙

February 15, 2023

class="content__text" Nan Kali Sunuwar hasn’t been to school a day in her life, but she’s determined that her grandchildren get all the opportunities to learn that she never did. She was recently seen accompanying granddaughter Roshani to the Reading Mela held at the Sharada Secondary School in Bheriganga Municipality in Surkhet District. “I might not understand what’s written in the books, but it makes me so happy to see that she does,” Nan Kali says of Roshani. The Reading Mela, organized by the Bheriganga Municipality, is part of an overall reading campaign that has been running at the school for the past month or so, led by the municipality in partnership with CEHRD, with support from an EU-UNICEF initiative to strengthen the Government of Nepal’s COVID-19 education response. The Mela is one of the activities included the reading campaign – so far held in 100 schools in Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces – part of a range of efforts to promote a culture of reading among young children. “It’s been such a good day seeing everyone gathered to read and learn… it makes me think I should go to school too!” Nan Kali says with a laugh. #LearningContinuity #LetMeLearn @euinnepal #NSET #EducationalPages @mercycorps #SACNepal #CDCDoti

February 14, 2023

class="content__text" UNICEF has partnered with U-Report to understand adolescents' and young people's experiences and thoughts on the food options that are available to them and their food choices. We also want to hear your ideas on the support you may need. Channel links to access the poll: Facebook Messenger – To start the poll, send the word FE via Facebook Messenger here: https://m.me/ureportsouthasia?ref=FE WhatsApp – Click the link and send the word FE to start: https://tinyurl.com/3ah72pn7 Viber – Click the link and send the word FE to start: https://tinyurl.com/5xe44fm2 @unicefsouthasia

February 14, 2023

class="content__text" Meena Thapa says her daughter’s disability had made it difficult to take her anywhere, including to the health facility for vaccination. This was one of the reasons the now 10-year-old Deepshika from Nepalgunj had not received the measles-rubella vaccine when she was met by a team from the Behavioral Science Center (BSC), as part of their household outreach work in the wake of the recent measles outbreak in Banke. The BSC was established by the Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences (KUSMS) in collaboration with UNICEF-Nepal and JSl in 2022, to understand and address behavioral and social drivers affecting immunization in communities. Following a personal counselling session where Meena was informed about the dangers that measles pose to unvaccinated children, and a discussion about how vaccines contribute to children’s health and futures, the young mother was persuaded to take both her girls to get the vaccine. Meena says that she is glad she made the effort for her children, and feels that she understands the importance of immunization better.

February 13, 2023

class="content__text" Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and, therefore, also half of its potential. A significant gender gap has persisted throughout the years at all levels of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines all over the world, with women heavily under-represented in these fields. On International Day of Women and Girls in Science today and everyday, we recognize the critical role women and girls play in science and technology communities and commit to strengthening their participation. #WomenInScience

February 12, 2023

class="content__text" The Mid-Upper Arm Circumference or MUAC tape is a simple, yet innovative tool that can help detect malnutrition in children. As part of the ‘Family MUAC’ intervention, healthworkers and female community health volunteers (FCHVs) like FCHV Gauri Kumari Khanga from Saptari District are training and empowering parents and caretakers around Nepal to themselves monitor the health of their children. Since 2013, UNICEF, through generous funding from the European Union, has been supporting the Government of Nepal in implementing the Multi-Sector Nutrition Plan, to promote healthy, nutritious, and diversified diets for adolescents, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, infants, and young children. The partnership also supports the Family MUAC intervention, enabling caregivers to assess the nutritional status of their children across four districts in Nepal, and take timely, necessary steps for treatment of malnutrition. @euinnepal

February 12, 2023

class="content__text" 💦Bringing #safewater closer to communities! Malta Valley in the Bagmati Rural Municipality in Lalitpur District became the very first in the Kathmandu Valley to officially earn the title of a “water-safe community” recently. This means that the three communities in Malta – Thulobhir, Chhahare and Goganghari with a combined total of 157 households – now have easier access to safe water, thanks to a project implemented by the local government, with support from UNICEF and partner organization UEMS. The project has worked primarily to strengthen the safe water supply through repair and maintenance of water supply systems and establishing a drip chlorination system. A Water Safety Plan has also been implemented, and support provided to develop the municipality’s water-quality monitoring mechanism, including by setting up a mini-lab at the municipality office to enable regular testing in communities. Additionally, the local Water and Sanitation User Committee has also received training in repair and maintenance, and water testing. And families have also been supported in making use of household-level water treatment options to further ensure the safety of their supply. Malta resident Sharmila Lamichhane, 36, says that having clean and safe drinkable water so close to her home has been a blessing. “You feel safer knowing this water won’t cause diseases to you or your children,” she says. “And since the supply is constant, I’m able to water our vegetable garden, wash our cattle and do all these extra things without worrying that there won’t be enough.”

February 12, 2023