Hathway Analytics-another corporate grant

With perfect timing to support our recent posting on “Sustainability” we have once again been extremely fortunate to receive a sustainable grant from Hathway Analytics, an Oxfordshire business analysis consultancy. Our main supporters here are Nancy and Simon Hathway who have been personal supporters for some time and they have now committed their company to an annual grant which in this first year funds the salary of a teacher at Kesh Chandra School.
Nancy takes up the “story”:-

“In the UK we are incredibly fortunate with the provision and availability for our children’s schooling. Having personally gone through the free UK education system I have been given opportunities that many people around the world cannot even dream about. Fifteen years after leaving secondary school I am now running my own business analytics company. I chose to support Nepal Schools Aid because I believe that it is every child’s right to receive an education. This small charity enables some of the poorest children in Kathmandu to access educational material and schooling.

Often I have felt powerless to make any impact on events that I have seen in the media, however this is changing through charities like Nepal Schools Aid. I can help a little bit of the world and see something really positive happening with my donation.

As a parent it is important for me that my children are educated about the world outside of our small Oxfordshire village. Our local village school has started on the route of linking with Kesh Chandra school in central Kathmandu. As my eldest daughter starts year 2 in September her class will have Nepal studies on their curriculum. I am very proud that as a family we are able to support the school with a teacher, Malika Shakya. I hope with this personal family commitment and our planned trip to Nepal in 2010 that our children will learn it is everybody’s responsibility to take action to make our world a better place. We really can make a difference, people need to take personal action whether it be with time or donations to change our global, but not so equal world.”

The Search For Sustainability

A little while ago I wrote about the concept/issue of sustainability as applied to Nepal Schools Aid, especially important given the current economic climate.

At the turn of the year there was a number of reports in the media of how charities were struggling to maintain their previous level of operation due to reduced donations. Understandable? Yes. Acceptable? No, not in our opinion anyway! Now this may sound a bit "high and mighty", but as a young and immature charity we have no sympathy with any large charity who live beyond their means taking their donors for granted. In the good years you save, in the lean years use some reserves. You owe it to your beneficiaries to act responsibly and manage your "business" sustainably.

Let's be a bit more specific. In 2008 we raised around ₤12,000, but the core of our work in Nepal needed a budget of only ₤6000, so what should we do? We could expand our work to spend more (₤12,000), or save ₤6000 in a high interest account to give regular interest. Maybe unsurprisingly, we chose to save ₤6000 and to live/work within the planned budget. So, most importantly, saving the excess has contributed to our sustainibility and in a worst case scenario we have capital to fund a whole year's work even if we receive NO donations in 2009!

Now, there is a second way of looking at sustainability and this concerns the TYPE of donation received from supporters. One-off donations are wonderful but even more wonderful are the guaranteed repeat donations as typified by monthly standing orders or annual repeat grants. This year we have had a real breakthrough in each area. Firstly, at the half way point in the year we have received ₤3,500 from annual repeat grants which are specifically targeted on our Value Added programme of textbook provision and teacher salaries. Secondly, we are being most generously supported by 11 donors via monthly standing orders to the value of around ₤1,700 per annum. This means therefore that we are receiving sustainable donations to the value of ₤5,200 which is almost sufficient to fund a whole year's work.

In summary then, sustainability is a combination of what WE do, and what YOU do:

We promise to uses our financial resources responsibly, spending within our means each year, saving extra funds during the good years.

What we ask of you, is to consider making regular donations by monthly standing order or an annual grant for larger sums. Please contact us at info@nepalschoolsaid.co.uk if you can afford from as little as ₤5 per month.

Nepal lurches towards "Failed State" status

Picture this scene: at 7am you take your son to college on your motor bike, on your way back you drive into a road block erected spontaneously by student political activists affiliated to one particular party NOT getting their own way in parliament, they threaten to burn your bike but you talk your way out of it and drive in the opposite direction. Meanwhile across the road a milk delivery van is attacked and torched by the activists, a few yards away a group of police stand around and watch. Later in the day the Constituent Assembly (parliament) proceedings are disrupted by the elected members of the disaffected party for the twentieth successive day with no business being conducted, the new Prime Minister who lost his seat at the national election (!) but who heads the party of government doesn't seem to know what to do.

All true, with the "man on the motorbike" being a Nepal Schools Aid official. Not only true but an example of what are becoming everyday occurrences in Nepal making the country's descent into Failed State status almost inevitable. A recent report from the Fund For Peace confirms this:
Meanwhile, Nepal has slid several points below its Failed State Index (FSI) this year compared to the previous year, the Kathmandu Post said citing a report released by a leading research organization.
In its fifth annual FSI released recently, the Washington-DC-based Fund for Peace has listed Nepal among the worst 38 countries, ranking it 25th.
The level of statelessness in the 38 countries sends “warning” signal, according to Fund for Peace.
Nepal stands in the category that includes countries like Somalia, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and North Korea, which make up the list of worst governed countries reeling under conflict, corruption, poverty, impunity and statelessness.
Countries like Norway, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland, which ranked 177th, 176th, 175th and 174th respectively, are seen as best governed.
The only solace for Nepal probably is that it fares better than Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, ranked 19th and 22nd in order, the Post said.
Weak and ineffective government, economic decline, poverty and widening inequality, impunity, deteriorating rule of law, violation of human rights, corruption and external intervention have been attributed as the reason for Nepal’s worsening condition. nepalnews.com June 29 09
Certainly as a charity with no form of political alignment we would not pass any comment or opinion on government, specific parties or state institutions, but the rising levels of violence, strikes, blockades and a general breakdown of law and order makes our work all the more important. Schools are frequently closed and parents are increasingly afraid to send their children to school especially following a recent spate of child kidnappings.
We must continue to reassure all our schools and the most vulnerable of children that our support to them will NOT be affected by the political or security situation. As long as we receive donations and grants we will be there for them.

Drinking water for Sramik School

The photo is virtually self-explanatory, but not of the background to this delivery of 2 months worth of mineral water to Sramik School in Patan, Kathmandu. After St James school in Millom raised money to pay for a range of books to be provided to the school, around £50 remained. Thanks to the insistence of one little boy at St James with his question "do they have clean water", this money was allocated to buying as much as we could, and today ......... delivery!

Just goes to show how far a little money will go!