I will be using my skills as a primary school head teacher to volunteer on VSO’s Sisters for Sisters project in the Dhading district of Nepal. Sisters for Sisters is a unique project that pairs older girls called Big Sisters who have finished school with younger girls, or the Little Sisters, who are at risk of leaving school.
In Nepal, tragically 40% of girls are married before the age of 15. Many are forced to leave school when they start their periods as they’re seen as women with responsibilities, whilst boys of the same age keep on learning. At the moment the average time a Nepali girl is in school is just three years, with less than half of Nepali women able to read and write. From an early age women don’t have the same opportunities as men to help them find a job and earn their own money.
The Dhading district where I will be working was one of the worst hit by the earthquakes in 2015. Out of the 86,000 homes in the district, only 3,000 were left undamaged. Many of the schools collapsed too, with most classes still being taught in temporary tents. As the Dhading district gets back on its feet from the devastation of the earthquakes and looks to the future, I would love to help by getting communities on board to keep girls in school for the whole of their childhood.
I will be working with the Big Sisters who have completed school to support them in becoming mentors and role models to the Little Sisters who are at risk of dropping out of education.
I will also be working hard with teachers to ensure schools are a welcoming place for girls – from building separate girls’ bathrooms, through to encouraging girls to put their hand up in lessons to ask questions alongside their fellow male schoolmates.
I will be working closely with around 80 Big Sisters and teachers across 12 schools in the Dhading district. Ultimately the 12 school network has about 300 Little Sisters currently enrolled, so my aim is to guide as many of them as possible to finish their education.
