Nepalese school children and youth have become keys to environmental protection with the help of the project of ODW and Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness (ECCA). Finnish school children and youth raised fund for the project during the school year 2004-2005. The project has been running since 2006 and the first phase of the project is finished by the end of 2008.

Children have become protectors of their environment
ECCA has trained over 100 youths to become ECCA Counsellors. The Counsellors have educated over 300 schoolchildren in ECCA camps. These children have formed and run 30 Nature Clubs around Nepal. The Nature Clubs' activities include arts, nature-related competitions and sharing information related to nature and its conservation. Nature Club members then spread environmental awareness in the community.

Good school environment encourages children to go to school
ECCA has renovated 20 schools around Nepal. Betterment of the school environment has increased school attendance levels. Construction works have included renovating and building class rooms, constructing toilets and providing pupils with a source of clean drinking water. The pupils learn about nature by maintaining the school gardens built for educational and recreational purposes. The improved infrastructure is managed and maintained by the Nature Club. Also the communities have committed to the upkeep of the schools.

ECCA has printed posters and a booklet about improving the school environment. Teachers have been provided with teaching material, such as educational board games. Thus, the project has enhanced the learning experience of the children. To make sure that no active Nature Club member has to drop out of school due to the family's economic status, ECCA has distributed 400 scholarship packages.

Based on the Solar Tuki project from ECCA and through technical assistance from ECCA, RAMBIENTAL (an organization of El Salvador) had developed Innvovative photovoltaic charging stations against poverty reduction for El Salvador.
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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.

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 .

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