Twenty schools from Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Pokhara and Dhangadhi today received a seed fund of £200 each for the launch of Social Action Projects in their schools and communities.

The sum was handed over to the representatives of the individual school during a Social Action Grant award ceremony at the British Council’s office in Lainchaur.

These grants are awarded to schools under British Council’s Connecting Classrooms project in association with The Gen Nep-Nation First platform of Himalayan Climate Initiative (HCI).

The SAPs are student-led initiatives that tackle issues relevant to local communities, ranging from environmental problems to issues of social justice, road accidents and drug abuse. These projects help develop students’ leadership and team building skills and enhance their understanding of local issues, making them committed to change. From raising awareness about traffic to making their communities green, these schools have shown dedication towards making their projects a success.

Responding to the requirements of the SAP grant, the schools have raised a challenge fund of £50 each to support their community work. British Council and HCI work in partnership to implement two exciting initiatives, namely Student Leadership and The Gen Nep-Nation First.

“The Social Action Projects under the British Council Connecting Classroom project are a wonderful opportunity for young people in Nepal to learn about the issues affecting their communities and to try and do something positive to address such issues, to change them, to come up with solutions,” said Jovan Ilic, head, Programmes and English, British Council.

source: the himalayan times,14 August 2013