Community Outreach

Community Outreach Projects at Himalayan Children’s Charities

HCC has a number of outreach projects working to improve communities across Nepal. HCC’s Community Education Initiatives are aimed at raising awareness and building community networks. This includes educating school children on the risks of trafficking using targeted media, distributing educational and hygiene materials for women’s menstrual health, and helping to bring the internet to rural schools.

HCC Nepal Comic Books 4 Girls

Current Outreach Projects

HCC’s Anti-Trafficking Campaign

The rate of child trafficking in Nepal is shocking – UNICEF estimates each year at least 13,000 Nepali children are trafficked to India alone. Domestic and international trafficking are both common, and many thousands of children are forced to work in hazardous jobs or sexually exploited.

HCC has partnered with Cause Vision and SASANE to produce and distribute a Nepali language comic book, entitled “Chameli Goes to School”, which raises awareness and educates students about the dangers of trafficking. HCC has printed and distributed 10,000 educational comic books to children, families and schools throughout the central hill regions of Nepal where children are especially vulnerable.

Distribution of Anti-trafficking comic books to rural Nepali students

HCC’s Health & Hygiene Workshops

In Nepal female menstruation is mired in traditional taboo and stigma. In many rural areas, menstruating women are not allowed to cook food, touch family members or perform normal household chores like cooking, and in extreme conditions are forced to spend their monthly periods in sheds isolated from their homes. These beliefs have led to a lack of education about women’s health and hygiene.

HCC staff conduct seminars and workshops for in rural areas for school aged girls but are also open for adult women from the local communities. Staff also distribute educational booklets on menstrual health created by HCC intern Maia Pandey and supply hygiene materials.

Rural students read ‘Chameli Goes to School

Past Outreach Projects

HCC’s WiFi Program 

In 2017, HCC and local partners worked to bring the internet to two remote, rural areas in the Dhading and Makwanpur districts of Nepal. Two WiFi towers were installed, providing internet to 2,200 students and teachers at six schools and a food kitchen. HCC also provided computer literacy training for teachers at the six schools – teaching internet basics, content access for classroom lessons and techniques for computer practicum courses for students.

 

Rural students use computers connected through the WiFi Project

HCC’s Library Project

The HCC Library Project collected 2,000 books and funds for two new school libraries in the rural districts of Gorkha and Sindhupalchowk. The US Embassy in Nepal, as well as the Maya Gold Foundation, and HCC International Youth Council, contributed books to the project.