Your One Click on Facebook Can Help Build a School in Nepal
Bikesh Deshar lost his father to an unknown cause when he was six. Bikesh, now 12, and his mother, who had married very young and had remained a housewife, were left to a life of uncertainty. When it came to Bikesh's education, they turned to Jyotidaya Cooperative School. The school is a local youth run cooperative that provides education to about 300 children in the community. 40 students like Bikesh study for free.
Jyotidaya School, is a unique model in Nepal and is run by young people in Chapagaun. It is established as a middle way between expensive private schools, run for pure profit, and public schools, which lack quality education. Tuitions fees are much cheaper than private schools but quality isn't. In the last two SLC examinations 100% students have passed, compared to 68% of national average. Unlike private schools, it doesn't produce a profit for a person or a group but is designed to find a local community based solutions to Nepal's ailing education.
Jyotidaya School is a part of Sarvodaya, a non-profit organization, dedicated to bring sustainable change by encouraging local actions.
You can help construct a school in Chapagaun by simply voting on Facebook and helping win Sarvodaya. The Facebook based challenge is run by US based Chase Bank, which will give $250,000 to an organization that secures the most votes by July 12, 2010. Should Sarvodaya win the award, it plans on building school using local materials such as adobe and bamboo that reflects Nepal's rich tradition of architectural design and indigenous knowledge on constructions.
