Kathmandu: week-long intensive educational mission across Nepal’s rural heartlands concluded this Friday, successfully delivering essential academic and hygiene kits to 5,005 students in 56 community schools.
Funded by the China Foundation for Rural Development (CFRD) and implemented by Global Cooperation for Development (GCD), the NPR 9.72 million ($73,000 USD) initiative aims to reduce school dropout rates and promote public health among the nation’s most underserved youth. The high-impact journey, led personally by GCD Chairperson Mukti Marasini, commenced on Tuesday and Wednesday in the rugged terrain of Lamjung district in Gandaki Province.
Alongside Senior Education Officer Himlal Sharma, Marasini oversaw the distribution of supplies worth over NPR 4.74 million to 2,464 students across 35 remote schools of Madhyanepal Municipality. This first phase set a rigorous pace for the mission, focusing on students from Early Childhood Development (ECD) to Grade 8, and providing them with school bags, stationery, and hygiene kits—a 19-item package known as the Panda Pack. By Thursday, the mission had transitioned to Bagmati Province, reaching the Konjyosom Rural Municipality in Lalitpur.
There, GCD Chairperson Marasini joined Rural Municipality Chairperson Krishna Man Lama to facilitate the handover of kits worth NPR 2.72 million to 1,102 students across 14 schools. The week’s efforts reached a grand conclusion on Friday, March 20 (Chaitra 6), in the Mahalaxmi Municipality of Lalitpur.
In this final leg, resources worth NPR 2.79 million were provided to 1,439 students across seven key institutions: Shree Kalidevi, Lubhu Secondary, Singheri Community Secondary, Shree Suryodaya Balbikash Secondary, Narayan Basic School, Sisneri Secondary, and Balodaya Basic School. Each of the 5,005 students supported this week received a standardized Panda Pack valued at precisely NPR 1,942.47, including VAT.
To ensure international standards of accountability, GCD conducted a formal social audit at every distribution site, allowing local stakeholders and parents to verify the quality of the stationery and hygiene materials provided. Reflecting on the successful week, Chairperson Mukti Marasini emphasized the organization’s long-standing dedication since 2021.
“Quality education is a fundamental pillar of sustainable development, and our mission is to ensure that economic constraints do not hinder a child’s potential,” Marasini stated. “By personally visiting these 56 schools from Lamjung to Lalitpur, we have seen firsthand the impact of providing these Panda Packs. This partnership with CFRD remains committed to empowering Nepal’s next generation through both literacy and health.” By bridging the resource gap in the nation’s public education system, the CFRD-GCD partnership continues to foster an equitable learning environment, ensuring that over 5,000 children are now better equipped for a strong academic future.
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