When Nepal went into the first round of nationwide lockdowns in March 2020, educational institutions remained closed for an extended period. Most schools – especially those serving the marginalized – lack the capacity to shift to online/digital platforms because of the limited availability of technology, skilled human resources, and the necessary infrastructure. Even as schools have started reopening, the possibility of further disruptions from COVID-19 hotspots or other disasters remains a real threat. Furthermore, post-COVID-19 learning loss, as well as socioemotional support, is likely to be necessary for children of marginalized populations who lack the necessary resources to rebound.
The COVID 19 Emergency Response for Nepal - Education Support Program provides a holistic intervention to guide students back to school, provides alternative learning resources in case of continued disruptions and ensures rich and meaningful play-based activities are available to the most marginalized populations.
In order to address these challenges faced by the students and schools, Karkhana Samuha, leveraged its unique skills and proven expertise to design learning kits for school students. These kits combine engineering and storytelling, thus, providing literacy skills and hands-on practical education with an interactive learning modality.
Utilizing an “inside-out” design methodology to operationalize a Leave No One Behind (LNOB) strategy, the program consists of the following components:
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Free open-source free children’s stories in English and Nepali -
Open- source engineering/making activities for 11 of the stories (in Nepali and English)
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Kits consisting of printed stories, printed activity sheets, and materials, were delivered to learners from marginalized households and/or schools in seven municipalities around Nepal. The kits are essential to ensure those with limited resources and no digital access can engage with the program.
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A radio show in each of the seven target municipalities will help low-literacy households to listen to the stories and use the kits. It also increases resources’ access to a larger number of children.
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A video-based storytelling and activity guide with sign language interpretation for children and parents who are hard of hearing and/or deaf.
