Nepal: Dautari – Friends for Future e.V. “Future through Education” 

The background: For some years now, the state schools in Nepal have no longer charged school fees, but school attendance often fails due to the poverty of the parents. They cannot buy their children notebooks, pens or other materials. But those who cannot at least read and write cannot take their future into their own hands – nor can they shape the future of their country. Girls are particularly affected by this: In this patriarchal society, if there is some money, it is more likely to be invested in the education of sons. The consequences: Girls are married off at an early age or even given into a kind of servitude as household help.

The material:
Exercise books, stationery, shoes, warm jackets, backpacks… There is a focus on local production. Backpacks, jackets and exercise books are made in Kathmandu, for example.

Delivery:
The material travelled on the roof of a bus to Belkot in Nuwakot district the day before. Sampanna, Uttara and two other members of Dautari Nepal followed the next day in a jeep. It took their jeep a good five bumpy hours to cover the nearly 50 kilometres into the foothill zone. What is called a “highway” here is actually more like a dust and gravel road. All in all, they were on the road for 15 hours that day. But the look on the beaming faces of the girls and boys was well worth the effort.