Chepang Community School Hostel Project
The Chepang Community
The Chepang region in Nepal is in the Dhading District and is located 25–35 miles west of Kathmandu. The people residing in the area are characterized as one of Nepal’s most marginalized indigenous groups/castes. Their livelihoods are primarily subsistence farming, seasonal wage labor, migration, and forest resources. The challenges faced include chronic poverty and food insecurity, long walking distances to school for children (for some 3–5 hours daily), high school dropouts, especially among girls, child marriage and social exclusion. Despite these hardships, families value education and want a brighter future for their children.
Our major project objective is to address the needs through improved access to education
Education has been documented as a long-term strategy for enriching the lives of impoverished and discriminated against individuals such as the Chepang. This model has been successful in other areas in Nepal, and we are confident that it can be replicated for the Chepang.
The project plan is to have the secondary school operate a student hostel. The hostel will provide a safe living environment for 90 students and contribute to their academic success as well as their personal and social development. The students will receive free meals, healthcare, clothes, school uniforms and educational tutoring.
The hostel will provide a safe, supportive, environment thereby reducing dropouts and child marriage, increasing girls’ enrollment and graduation, developing future leaders, teachers, and health workers who return to uplift their communities, and becoming a sustainable model through increased community participation/support and local agriculture projects (vegetables, poultry, livestock).
Development and operations of the school hostel
The secondary school in Dhading Nepal has developed plans for establishing and operating the hostel. An existing structure is presently being converted to serve as a dedicated hostel. The school will operate the hostel once construction is complete, and students are recruited. Funding has already been committed by Nepal local, provincial, and federal governments and by the school.
Shree Pipal Bhanyjung Secondary School (SPBSS)
The school was founded in 1956 by local villagers and started as a small Basic School (only up to gr. 7). The school expanded over the years, now serving over 500 students gr. K-12. Some of the recent growth is due to downsizing of other schools and feeder schools in the region. Students are mostly from scattered, remote settlements. Some current barriers include poverty, distance/terrain, parents’ limited education, and insufficient support at home.
Why a Hostel?
Walking 3–5 hours each way is not realistic for many children and leads to low attendance. Two nearby schools were recently closed, forcing longer commutes for those children. Dropouts are common - especially among girls, who are then at higher risk of child marriage. A hostel provides safe housing near the school, nutritious meals, study support and mentoring, and protection from social risks. This is not just a building — it is a lifeline for students who might otherwise never finish school.Progress to Date
Progress has been made on the development and operations of the hostel. However, many actions will be required to successfully develop and operate the hostel and to ensure its sustainability. To date we can happily report that:
✔ The school and local governments are highly engaged/motivated to develop the project
✔ A hostel building has been secured (and some students are already living there)
✔ Beds, bedding, and kitchen basics are partially in place
✔ Key staff have been identified and hired including a hostel supervisor, cook, and caregivers
✔ A site visit has been conducted by Ten Friends Board members, and we met with local school and government representatives
You can help by donating to the Chepang Community Project.
We encourage you to make a tax-deductible donation to the Chepang School Hostel Project. All of your donation (minus a 2.9 % bank processing fee) will go directly to the Project.
Please select the Chepang Community Projects Donation Selection when making your donation. You can make your donation on-line or Donate by Check. To make an online payment please complete the information requested below and then hit the PAY button on the bottom right of this page and this will take you to a Credit Card processing form. Thank you!