Mid Day Meals programmes in ECDs

We received

 Dear Friends

It is really upsetting to read In previuos posts that due to the high running costs of the italian INGO financing education and nutrition programmes in Kavre District, they decided to reduce daily meal integrations for children in Bal Bikas Kendra (ECDs).

It is proved by several studies and experiences that Mid Day Meals programmes is exert a positive influence on enrolment and attendance in schools. In India several states manage such activities since 1980s, becoming national as the decision of Indian Government in 2004.

You should advice this people of italian INGO to read the National Programme of Nutritional Support to Primary Education, 2006 which could give them some teachings how to run educational and nutrition programmes in a effective way for children and people . Below the link, Friendly wishes,

Nagendra Amatya-Kathmandu

 

 http://education.nic.in/mdm/FINAL_Guidelines_MDM_19_sept.pdf) 

letter to Social Welfare Council

We received

Dear Friends
The worries expressed by the people from the villages where we began the projects in 2003  confirms the letter delivered  to SWC (Social Welfare Council) last september in which I denounced Centro Cooperazione Sviluppo (CCS) INGO for not implementing the agreements related to education, health and community development in Kavre.
From then it seems that Centro Cooperazione Sviluppo INGO is going  to cancel all projects in Kavre, only leaving some formal activities (training, coordination) throughout the local DEO.
In fact they are replacing Kavre sponsored children with new ones located in Kathmandu.
Of course it easier for these people to work few meters from the office than to go in remote and disadvantaged area as Timal (Kavre) it is.
But it is absolutely incorrect to use money which  Italian sponsors donated for Kavre children to other programs.
I stated this wrong attitude in my letter (see below) as well as the huge increasing of office and staff expenditures which are badly affecting the activities for the beneficiaries.
It sounds also quite amusing that the new officers of CCS Centro Cooperazione Sviluppo INGO have been able to buy private cars only after seven months of working in the organization. In short, I believe, that in little less than one years and half they have destroyed four years work, confidence, projects and hopes for the communities of Kavre for their incapacity and wasting of people money. Below the letter I sent to SWC.

To The Members Secretary of
Social Welfare Council
Lainchor
Kathmandu

Dear Sirs
As you know I was the former Country Director (since January 2007) of CCS (Centro Cooperazione Sviluppo) Italy INGO and I signed with SWC and CCS Cooperation & Development  Nepal (local and implementing NGO) three agreements regarding education, health and electrification for the benefits of the deprived and  isolated community and children in Timal area (Kavre District).
In the last days I went in the community where the projects should be implemented and I found among people, teachers and children deeply concern about the state of the projects. During my visit in the community, stakeholders told me that the project (especially education) has been severely cut and other (health and electrification) are reduced to merely trainings and reports.
They submitted to me a list of programs cancelled (as appears to compare the report presented in October 2006  by CCS Italy (under my direction) to SWC (attached).
-food integration for around 800 children enrolled in Bal Bikas Kendra (ECDs) founded by Cooperation & Development  Nepal NGO-
-rent of Bal Bikas Kendra (ECDs) before supported and founded by Cooperation & Development  Nepal NGO-
-coaching classes for secondary schools-
-text books for sponsored children sponsored by CCS in six and seven classes in seven secondary schools-
-distribution to all children in primary schools of copy books, pens, pencils and other didactical materials twice at year for around 5000 children sponsored by Cooperation & Development  Nepal NGO-
-teachers salary for 14 teachers in secondary schools
– high secondary school (10+2) built by Cooperation & Development  Nepal NGO and community (in 2006) support–
Moreover even the buffalo project directed to the poorest families in the community has been severely reduced.
We heard about plan to further reduce the support of Timal  children for 2009 as well as not start new schools or ECDs building as well all the health programs.
Furthermore, the stakeholders informed me that CCS Nepal has been excluded by any process-making decisions in clear opposition to nepali rule and SWC norms which stated the local NGO should be the implementing agency and should be empowered being formed by local people.

When community protested against reduction of activities, the CCS Italy officers replied they will stop all programs in Timal area and actually they contacted  political representatives to find out any location and  NGOs (good for them) to replace CCS Nepal. It seems clearly the worst way to find out partners, places, and beneficiaries for  new projects. You must consider CCS Nepal is deep rooted in the projects community and thanks to it all projects were proposed and initiated and fund collected. They worked very hard during the conflict to implement them. This happened thanks to transparency, community rooted activities and capacity.
As you know CCS Italy INGO fund come from children sponsorship made by Italian  people who likes to sustain their education, health and life. At the end of 2007 (as document attached) the children sponsored were 3558. Around 3100 are located in Thimal and they should receive the greatest amount of donations. As the official CCS Head Quarter budget attached (on www.ccsit.org) it appears that 45,5% of the amount donated by sponsor it has been used in Italy for administrative costs (in 2006 only 32%)
In Nepal arrived euro 356.338 only euro 30.000 less than  2006 budget (as document attached and auditing given to SWC) due to the higher HQ management costs. From this amount  only 217.550 have been used for projects not only in Thimal but also in Chitwan (around 400 children sponsored, and in Kathmandu (where is easily to work for the new recruited CCS Italy officers.
CCS Italy so stated that euro 150.000 (near the half of all amount sent in Nepal) has been used to pay officers, office and other facilities.
Stakeholders informed me that new appointed officers receive the following monthly salaries:
-Chanda Rai, country director monthly salary        nrs.150.000
-Buddhi Man Shestra education manager,              nrs. 90.000;
-Lachi Singh, health manager                                 nrs. 90.000;
-Vishnu Shestra accountant,                                  nrs 90.000;
-Rajesh Shestra accountant,                                   nrs. 90.000;
-deputy country director                                        nrs 250.000 (exp)
(This amounts are far higher than the salary given to the new appointed Nepali President of Republic and Prime Minister).
Other officers (16) receive salary ranging from Nrs. 40.000 to 20.000.
All this top officers has been provided by a lab top (which cost the amount of children food integration for six months of 800 children cut by them) and cars, health schemes, phones, and other  facilities.
As you know as the Report presented to SWC in 2006, the number of employed of CCS Italy INGO were six, and they managed more activities than now. Because the intention was to enforce the capacity of local NGO and  excluded people (Tamang) from the projects area.
It must be noted and evaluate by SWC that the projects running and signed have not been implemented because the amount stated has not been used for the benefits of Nepali children and people and not given to the implementing local NGO as nepali law, agreements articles and SWC rules stated.
With best regards

Dr. Enrico Crespi
Budhanilkanta
Kathmandu

05 September 2008

letter from the villages

We received

Dear Friends
at the end of September people of Centro Cooperazione Sviluppo INGO came to our village and we told them we dont give sponsorship letters from around 300 students because the support to secondary students, teachers, and 10+2 (high secondary) has been cut. The same happened for distribution of copy-books, pens, pencils, and other materials to all the children (around 6000) in Thimal. Some schools decided dont give letters.
We ask the italian but he told us that the responsibility of this cutting on the activities is due to the new Country Director of Centro Cooperazione Sviluppo INGO, Mrs. Chanda Rai. But this lady has never came to our village and she cannot understand our needs.
The sample is the new Children Clubs which are not very useful for our community and they were simple copied from some other INGO. Time and money used for this  activities could be used to reinforce our Bal Bikas Kendra (ECDs) and to distribute materials to our children in order to alleviate the education cost burden to the poorest family.
Months ago we sent letters to  Centro Cooperazione Sviluppo INGO nepal and HQ asking better management of the projects but they were without answer. Now we still ask you as local NGO always working in close cooperation with  community to appeal to Centro Cooperazione Sviluppo INGO to resume these activities. You perfectly know how they gave benefits to students and family which cannot afford many money to educate children.
In faith
Saila Tamang, Dhane Bahadur Dong, Raj Magar, Krishna Mainali and others.

During the past year we asked them several times to implement all projects which have been cut from the second half of 2007, like didacticl material distributions and 10+2 support. As you know we started these projects since 2003 with full cooperation of the community, teachers, people and schools.
From 2007 many changes happened in italian Head Quarter and in nepali office, new people arrived and some activities have been cancelled. Some priority is going to be done to new projects in Kathmandu which are more easily managed by the INGO office.

Contrarily to the past, we have no voice in deciding the strategies of the INGO and they declared, also in your village,  their budget declined in 2007 and 2008.
In June 2008, they published  2007 Budget on http://www.ccsit.org (in the past it was also in english now only in italian), translated it appears:

-Amount of fund collected from italian sponsors: euro 35,078,60   (-16% compared to 2006)
-Amount distributed to supported countries : euro 19, 485,82    (55,55% of total collected. In 2006 the amount was 68,81%)
-Amount used in Italy for office running expenses : euro 15,592,78      (44,45% in 2006 it was 31,19%)

 

 

 

 

 -Amount for Nepal Projects and running expenses (3558 children sponsored): euro 3,563,38 (-2% compared to 2006)
-Amount used for projects (Kathmandu Chitwan, Kavre):     euro 2,175, 58    (60,9%)
-Amount used for running office expenses CCS Italy IMGO: euro 1,387,80     (39,1%)

 

 

 

 

 The huge increasing of administrative expenses in italian HQ and in the INGO Kathmandu Office (compared to the previous years) is due to the strategy to enlarge the number of officers (in Nepal from 4 to 22) in order to assure a better projects management. It should be noticed, around 40% of the projects budget has been spent  in Kathmandu and Chitwan projects.
Of course our NGO received less than 60% of the 2006 amount and following the decisions of Centro Cooperazione Sviluppo INGO Nepal office (enlarge the office, new projects in Kathmandu, etc.) we were obliged to cut many programmed activities in spite of project agreements signed.
It is worth to note that the majority of sponsored children (around 3200) are located in Kavre but we didn’t receive an equivalent percentage of funds.

Activities Progress Report 2007-2008

It is available the Report of CCS Nepal NGO 2007-2008: (PDF file)

 

 

 

 

activities progress_report_2007-2008

activities report 2006

activities-summary-report-2005

activities-summary-report-2004