JMB Educational Fund – Godavari, NEPAL (8 Girls)
“No words could possibly express how happy I was when I was informed that I had been chosen and sponsored by you to receive a scholarship. I hope to become a social worker so that I can help others. This monetary donation has given me a boost in my confidence to pursue a career in a field that I think I will be successful in.”
– Clara, 16 years old
“My parents cannot contribute to my college expenses since they earn barely enough to support the household. PAWA support would help me pursue my education and continue my studies. It would help me realise my dreams and build a stable career path.”
– Sarita, 19 years old
The JMB educational fund is a UK based charity supporting deprived children in Nepal. It has worked with St Xavier’s Secondary School in Godavari for 20 years and developed a close relationship with the Principal and teaching staff. JMB currently sponsor 119 young people at the school and have increased the proportion of girls attending school overall. In 2019 PAWA started sponsoring the education costs, (mainly tuition fees), of 5 teenage girls with challenging family and financial circumstances and this has now increased to 7 students in their last two years at the school. PAWA-supported girls are also selected for their academic and social record. They are ambitious and despite the challenges in their personal lives are aiming for professional careers either as doctors, pharmacist, lawyers or accountants and they all volunteer at the School as junior teaching, administration or library assistants.
With the Covid 19 school closures education moved online, though slow internet connections have created difficulties for some children. As of 1 February 2021, Years 10, 11 and 12 will return to physical classes at the school. JMB has extended its work to supporting the education of vulnerable children at one of the Social Services Centres run by the Nepal Jesuit Society for Girls, and from 2021 PAWA began supporting a number of girls in this way at the Arun Bhawan Centre.