School Environment Improvement programme
Shree Rastriya Primary School located in Dhanusha District, Nepal has 406 students. It is running up to grade 7. The school has mud house, which consists of only 2 classrooms. The students are taking class on open air. If it rains, the school is closed. There is no toilet and drinking water. The children bring sack or plastic bags from house to sit on during study. There are many such schools. Even so, these schools are gift for those students; at least they have an opportunity to study.
Though teachers are motivated and sincere, how they can give quality education to students in such an environment? Because of lack of toilets and drinking water or unhealthy environment, students, especially girls, bunk the classes and slowly dropout of the school. As can be seen from the census data, the school enrollment need to be improved - and that also especially for the girl child. How could such dropouts be stopped? How could the overall school enrollment be increased?
Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness (ECCA) has been working towards improving the school environment through the participation of local youths, leaders and teachers. In the areas where this programme has been already implemented, school students are doing good job like monitoring school compound, toilets, fast food shops, managing open spaces and preserving plants. All the children are considering nature club as a recreational and self-development centre where they can develop different skills.
When the school is clean, green and has usable toilets and drinking water facilities, the students also "enjoy" coming to school and the attendance is quite satisfying. This type of programme can develop the positive attitude and vision on the children and community to improve the environment of the village as a whole.
Installation of Solar Photo Voltaic (PV) Water Pumping System
By integrating social and technical components, ECCA has successfully replaced diesel-engine water pumping system ( which were not in operation because the villagers were unable to afford high operation and maintenance cost) by solar photovoltaic water pumping system at three locations in eastern Nepal. The impacts have been:
- Improvement on children health – as stated by the local health assistant, the number of stomach patients has decreased (to 2-3 persons per week from about 30) after distribution of water supply.
- Creation of social equity and social harmony – the water distribution system was extended even to schedule caste communities
- Easier life of women – now, clean drinking water is available just besides the house (before, they had to collect from a distant place)
Improved Cook Stove (ICS) Promotion programme
Mr. Ribombo Tamang, a tea-shop owner, is one amongst the many happy villagers of Rasuwa, Nepal. The reason behind his happiness is non-other than the newly constructed Improved Cook Stove (ICS) installed in his kitchen.Due to the ICS, he can serve customers faster than before as it has two potholes to cook food and takes less time for cooking. Also, environment inside the shop is now very clean and smokeless as ICS exhaust all smoke outside the building through chimney.
Now, people enjoy eating and drinking in his shop and by one month his sales had increased by more than 15%.
Besides, he can spend more time in other income generating activities, as only less time is required to collect the fuel wood now. His shop has set an example in the area.
Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness (ECCA) has been promoting Improved Cooking Stove (ICS) by integrating it with social awareness and community development programme.
The traditional open cook stove consumes 30% more fuel wood. In addition, emission of relatively high level of carbon monoxide from these open stoves and poor ventilation contributes to high concentration of emission within rural houses, particularly in kitchens - which affects the health of the family .
programme in Southern Lalitpur
Various trainings and programmes have been conducted in the ECCA/WMT project area in Southern Lalitpur. Counselor Training Camp (CTC) was conducted for the ex-nature club members who had passed out from the school. Now, these counselors are regularly monitoring the nature clubs and are conducting inter-club interactions as well. It has been observed that the nature club members and the local youths have developed confidence in their work. Nowadays guardians of the nature club members send their children in ECCA programme without any inquiry. It shows that the communities are very much impressed in ECCA activities. One of the activities - charcoal stove - is gaining popularity in the area. The people of neighboring district, Makwanpur, have also started to install the charcoal stove in their houses. If was found that this stove saves 50% firewood. Besides, the income generating activity (coffee nursery) done by the nature club has also been appreciable
