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We're on the front page! When we visited the village yesterday, a journalist went with us and now we are on the front page of the local Maithili newspaper.
Now we're here at the other project which is supported by the funds that we raise. This school is somewhat bigger and is also funded by the government, but our project has been planned to improve the school's results.
This means training for the teachers and better conditions for the pupils.
We're now in a class for third year pupils. Their Nepalese language class should be starting but we came to disturb them.
The class size is quite big, even if this is supposedly the smallest class in the school. There are, oh, just forty-something pupils.
This is the youngest class of the school, apparently something like the pre-school we have at home. But it keeps the kids away from the fields.
The most important thing is that they don't have to work with their parents. That they have a place to go to for the day where they are supervised.
If they are left at home alone, they may burn themselves on something, or if something happens, what will the children do among themselves? The parents anyway have to go work in the fields or wherever they go.
Class is dismissed, so we have to leave before we're again surrounded by a blue mass.
- Bye bye! - Bye bye!
Out next stop was a small village school.
We came to the village school, where there are sixty pupils, two classes but only one teacher.
One of the classes is being taught by a pupil and the teacher is trying to teach the other class. And then they switch. So the situation is not too good. But then again, these kids have a school, for the first time ever.
The school has been functioning for a year now. Again, this village belongs to the most ostracized casteless people, who are not noticed by anyone. Because they are illiterate, they also don't know to claim their rights from the state.
This project helps them go to school and achieve a higher literacy rate, so that they then can claim their rights.
Hopefully they will have a second teacher here soon.
It's a strange feeling to be stared at constantly by a hundred pairs of eyes. You feel sort of naked. We clearly seem to be some sort of attraction here.
You really get a feeling of being far away from home. And at the same time, you feel so privileged because of all the education that you've received...
Éand seeing the situation here, where they don't necessarily even have a teacher.
It makes one think.
Yeah. This school project is really needed, this much I can say.
The saddest thing is that half of the children who are hovering around us are not in school. Not that it would cost anything
but there's just no space for any more children. Those who actually are in school, at least they have a chance, no matter how bad the school.
But If you're not in school, you don't even have that much of a chance.
We want to change the lives of these children
Join us at www.autollanepaliin.fi/en