Increased the number of Community Schools

During the past years we worked to enforce the role of the community in managing schools and ECDs (Early Childhood Dev. Center). They are managed by a SMC (School Management Commitee) formed by representatives of teachers and families. It is a good way to link quality on education, enrollenmnet and controll on teachers work. The SMCs have to be helped in improving their capacity and so we did by an agreement with lawiers and accountants from Tribhuvan University. We believe to do a good work transferring resources to SMCs (teachers salary, schools building and repairing, library, dicactical materials, etc.) and helping them to have a good accountability. In the VDCs where we worked each year during Baisach (nepali end of year), the SMCs did a community auditing to explane to the communituy how they spent our funds. People partecipated in a great number, it was also a feast where we distributed copybooks, pen, and other materials to children.
Now the process started in 2004 to hand over the management of public schools to community is going on. Over 8,000 public schools across the country has been handed over to local communities. According to the Department of Education (DoE), as many as 8,002 public schools had been handed over to the communities by March 13.
DOE declared that 2,604 schools have been handed over to the communities in the eastern region, 2,284 in the central region, 1747 in western, 627 in mid-western and 740 in far-western development region. Among them, 5,471 are primary schools, 1,695 are lower-secondary schools and 836 are secondary schools.
More schools have been handed over to the communities in Kavre, Morang, Illam, Udayapur, Nawalparasi, Baglung, Nuwakot, Jhapa, Rammechhap and Dolakha districts.
The school handover programme was first launched in 2003/04 in 15 districts and has been expanded to all 75 districts now, according to Nepali. The government has allocated Rs 2,035 million for the community-managed schools in the current fiscal.

Drops of Nepal: images of people, places & projects

We post a documentary on our activities, with  images of people and places of Kathmandu, Kavre, Timal, Chitwan. Projects  on health and education for Tamang and Chepang children. The film has been shooted by Italian volunteers.

Sanitation in the villages

The Third South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN III) concluded in New Delhi today with the participating countries recognising people’s access to drinking water as a basic right.
The key principles included the promotion of wider participation of all the stakeholders, effective advocacy, change of people’s behaviour, partnership with the stakeholders, allocation of budget in all levels, strengthening of community efforts, improvement in working conditions for sanitary personnel, and development of appropriate technologies and methodologies.
The New Delhi declaration has also promised to promote collaboration among the SAARC countries with the help of appropriate mechanism, said the minister.
The United Nations has designated 2008 as International Year of Sanitation.

We publish the Report 2006 about our Health Project (in cooperation with Dhulikel Hospital) in Timal (Kavre District) where we started water analysis in some schools and appropriate activities (pipeline rebuilding, water tanks, distribution of deworming tablets, general sanitation) to tackle children water born diseases. Video report Health and sanitation project 2006.

In 2009. Dhulikel Hospital believed that there are no more condition to work with  CCS Italia ONLUS due, in our opinion, to the incapacity of the CCS Italia staff to deliver services to beneficiaries and to manage the project as before.

nutrion with DEO Kavre

As in our integrated project on education, from 2005 we provided integration daily meals to around 880 children enrolled in Bal Bikas Kendra (ECDs) we created in 5 VDCs in Timal area (Kavre District).

We provided them a daily allowance of Nrs. 2.5 each children managed by the School Management Committees charged of the ECDs. In the past post, it is underligned as daily meals for children helps enrollment and attendance to the ECDs as well it is a support for poor family.

Actually we had the idea to create Ama (mothers) Groups charged to produce and cook pito (high nutrient flour) and to distribute it to the children. Unluckly Centro Cooperazione Sviluppo ONLUS severely reduced the amount stated for this project from Rs. 2.5 each children daily to only Rs. 1. With this amount is very hard to give any good food to the children.

We received

Dear Friends

I am a teacher of Narayansthan and i was really involved in your projects in my VDC, they were very useful for children, family and schools. I know and I read on your website that quite all acyivities are collapsing due the mismanagement of Centro Cooperazione Sviluppo INGO. This is very sad and  we are very worried too because several teachers before supported by CCS Italy INGO were laied-off.

I really don’t understand which is their ideas and their future programs. They are destroying years of work and also all well has been done by your NGO which is formed and directed by people of the community. They speak about partnership at community level but in the Coordination Nutrition Committee of DEO (District Education Office) of Kavre they obliged you to leave the seat for a member of CCS Italy, one of the well-paid officer of Kathmandu which has not knowledge of our Timal.

This is really a pity which I hope the italian sponsors of our children will let to Know.

Friendly regards

Binod Kumar

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

Give opportunities: infrastructures

The main area where we are working is Timal (KAvre District) where there is no electricity. It means people has not opportunities to develop, to create cottage industries, to have a future. Many people is forced to migrate because in the hills there is not chances for a better life, to have children well educated, to receive health assistance, to find job opportunities.We believe  to improve education, health and  to create opportunities might be a way to avoid social and cultural disintegration.

During 2005 we has several meetings with people of Timal and all together we decide to utilize the chance given by NEA (Nepal Energy Authority) Rural Electrification program to create a local grid in seven VDCs. (Basic Grid Plan is avaible in research page above)

Cooperation & Development Nepal with engineers did a detailed survey of the area and we published a technical project which was presented to the community; lawyers prepared plan by-the- laws and rules to manage the cooperative (called TCRECA)

In this way the Shakty Project started and in 2008 the local grid is under construction.

We mobilized community and we formed a local users cooperative which board members were elected by local groups and trained by Tribhuvan University lawyers.

Local users groups were informed and they were able to collect around Nrs. 3000 each householder (56.000) to deposit the 20% of the cost of the grid building as NEA required.

From middle of 2007 the cooperative is self-managed with support of Karuna INGO and Centro Cooperazione Sviluppo (ONLUS).

But we are proud to be able to mobilize community  throughout trusteeship and transparency to initiate this work and we hope it will be well managed.

In January 2007 a big fire destroyed several houses in Thulo Parel VDCs we provided to all families new roofs (picture down)

Community Development: buffalo project

  Development means to enhance the building capacity and human capital of the community in which projects are implemented. It means to involve people in all stages of the project to discuss needs and problems, to find together the means to face them, to analyse the outputs of activities, to modify them in sharing experiences, to assure future sustainibility to the achievements.

This we are doing in our projects on education and health where the community, SMCs and people have been fully involved, by financial point of view too.

The Buffalo Project has been implemented to help the poorest families in the villages. Cooperation & Development Nepal give the amount to buy a buffalo to the SMCs, they choose the family and provide the animal. The beneficiary receive a micro-finance help which has to be reimbursed to the SMC (School Management Commitee) within 16 months, so the cycle go on. Still now more than 21 families has a buffalo.

SMC members received trainings in micro-finance. We decided the project after a community survey in 210 householders (2004) in which emerged:

• 64% of householders had loan from non formal credit institution (money lenders)
• 15% from banks or relatives
• average of loan Nrs. 30.000-
• needs of loan: 39% food integration; 36% children education; 15% seeds and agricultural tools, 12% house building; 12% marriage expenditures; 18% business (People indicate more than an option)
• 26% householders without buffalo-

Micro-finance provided people a capital (buffalo), a source of income (buffalo products) and proteins for children.

This project has been indicated as a sample to European Union by UCODEP in 2006.

 

Health

In January 2006 we signed a cooperation agreement with Dhulikel Hospital, one of the best managed and community oriented health structure in Nepal. This cooperation is directed to integrate children support activities we are doing in the area.

In Timal some Health Posts should operate and Dhulikel Hospital is managing a Health Center in Bolde Pediche. No activities have been never made to assure basic and structured health controls to children.

With the Hospital we create medical teams and we visited more than 6000 children and around 2000 people. We set laboratory in the villages and we distributed de-worming and vitamins.

We collected many informations (see research page above) and we study actions for water sanitation in some schools where worms are more diffused.

Paediatric camps have been scheduled twice at year to monitor the area and to treat patients. Seven Health Workers (selected in the villages) constatly work with the schools. 

During teacher and facilitator trainings we have introduced health and sanitation and, during 2006, we distributed materials and documentations to all schools and ECDs .

The programs are still operating but in a lesser scale; during 2007 dental visits were introduced.

Our idea is to create a sort of insurance system based on community health fund managed by the SMCs which could be utilize for children hospitalization in Dhulikel Hospital. This fund has been implemented in 4 schools.