Thank you for your continued love and support.
Discovering and living the journey
With a Japanese student visitor back in 2016 at YouMe School, Khotang
Since the day I joined YouMe Nepal which was exactly six years ago, I have had a wonderful opportunity to have varied experiences. When you work in the education sector you realize there’s so much to share and sharing to empower people is a gift you choose to give others. Namaste!! My name is Jharana Rai. I have been working in YouMe Nepal for six years now.
Saraswati Puja Festival at YouMe School, Biratnagar in the Year 2017
Over the years, I have seen my organization struggle and stumble at times but we never lost hope. And it happened because we believed in the dream we dreamt for our students which is to make a school that everyone can attend. I started my journey in YouMe Nepal in 2015 when the massive earthquake hit the nation and I became a part of the project. Since then there has been no looking back. I am not sure how long I will keep becoming a part of this beautiful family, a thought that has not still occurred to me but as long as I am associated with the organization I will do my damndest to fulfill my responsibilities.
During Bag Project in the year 2019
Along my journey with YouMe Nepal, the lessons learned have been numerous, I have met wonderful people throughout and I have realized there is no greater joy than finding what you genuinely believe in. I believed in the vision of my organization which truly stays to what it does. I believe our journey is magnificent because we are connected with people from every walks of life who support and have faith in our mission.
Traditional Hand Weaving
Weaving is one of the oldest crafts in the world. This involves the interlacing of the threads horizontally and vertically. Vishnu Pun 56 years old, a landlady of our staff in Nepal, has been hand weaving for as long as she can remember. She was mentored by her mother since her childhood. She hand weaves as a hobby.
She further adds, “I am not educated but the skill I possess makes me feel empowered and I am proud to keep alive one of the oldest weaving crafts which I adore doing.” The process is entirely done by hand, furthermore, she says it helps in exploring her creative spirit. This is her third hand weaved shawl during the second lockdown.
<YouMe School, Khotang>
Life in lockdown has become a tremendous challenge and has forced people to stay home. In these circumstances, people are out merely in emergency cases or work. The picture is of Machhapuchhre Bank from Halesi, Khotang. This place is 4 kilometers away from where our YouMe School is situated. The people are waiting their turn in the queue to get into the bank. The likelihood of catching infection has made people follow the restriction orders seriously.
Empty roads and closed shops following lockdown orders
The new academic session in Nepal recently started on July 15th. Our school, including many other schools in Nepal, has still not been able to resume the virtual class properly due to the myriad challenges that come with digital learning.
However, after contemplating the current circumstances, our school held a result distribution where parents were counseled and informed beforehand through phone calls. Our school followed mandatory safety precautions inside the school premises and so did the parents.
In the face of this challenging situation, our teachers are working tirelessly to figure out the possibilities to continue classroom learning remotely. Being a remote place itself is a huge challenge where access to online learning chances is extremely slim. Yet our teachers’ research and working on coming up with a well-structured plan might help us navigate the way to remote learning very soon. Our teachers are consistently in touch with the parents to help them understand the complexity of the contemporary education scenario.
YouMe Farm
After being bare for a while our YouMe Farm finally got ready for the maize plantation. Before the pandemic, our students used to be involved practically while learning the crucial process of growth of everything they grow on the farm. This time around our teachers volunteered to take the responsibility of maize cultivation. As maize is known to be one of the versatile crops having adaptability under different agro-climatic conditions. Now and then they pay a visit to check the crop and take care of it.
Throwback picture where our students were preparing nursery bed and sowing seeds on their own
Baby maize growing beautifully, a glimpse of YouMe Farm recently.
Hopefully, next time the pandemic settles, our students will grow more seasonal vegetables and crops whilst undertaking agricultural activities by themselves.
<YouMe School, Biratnagar>
The Covid 19 impact is immense, the pandemic has limited our activities, and socializing has become a subject of fear. Whereas we ponder on the reality of being caged in the home due to the pandemic we often forget how lucky people are to survive and continue to live our lives.
The location is near our school in Biratnagar. With less human activity the ecosystem seems to have revived and replenished. We can’t be indifferent to the deadly consequences of the Coronavirus at the same time we can’t help acknowledging that nature is given time to breathe life back.
Navigating remote learning once more
Equal educational opportunity is the right of every child. And to achieve the goal of disseminating equal chances for our students has been quite a journey since the pandemic. We have students representing different ethnic-socio backgrounds and the community. Moreover, we are so proud that we have become a platform where they can explore and learn. Also, the biggest challenge has been the convenient platform and connection that’s accessible to the parents and students.
Though these testing times are difficult sometimes but we continue to attempt to bridge the gap. We have extremely hardworking employees working in the field figuring out, following up, and reaching out to students and parents. We just started our teaching-learning process virtually and we are doing our utmost to connect every student.
Discord Project
This project is focused on meaningful discourse through Discord. It mainly functions as a language support tool that extends beyond the classroom and the English language being the medium. The project is supported by the GLI (Global Language Institute) team. This project is a mutual collaboration project with the Japanese Higashiyamato Public School. Our students from Grade 5 to 7 will be participating in this project from both YouMe School Khotang and YouMe School Biratnagar. The GLI team is creating content that suits best for both countries’ schools and students. Due to the pandemic, the project commencement is taking time however we are working with the team to combat the possible challenges. We are hoping to start the project very soon.