With the motive of bringing back the students to the classroom, supporting the community for sending their children to the school, Teach For Nepal launched a Mid Day Meal program that provides mid day meal or “khaja” to the school children.

“The first day of school saw very low number of students but as soon as the message went out that school is providing lunch at school, then the number of students doubled” says Lava Ram KC, Vice Principal of Udaykharka Ma Vi at Lalitpur where two of Teach For Nepal fellows teach.

According to KC, 80-90 percent of houses in the area have been destroyed or marked as “insecure” in the area forcing people to live in the tents. However, KC adds, “people are still sending their children to school and the meal we provide them has supported the families as they don’t have to worry to feed the children”.

“The response from the general public is that they are really positive towards the meal program and happy that school is taking the responsibility and this has been possible as we have Teach For Nepal fellows in our school,” KC said.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, schools 14 hardly hit districts remained shut. However, from May 31st schools have resumed. Although schools has resumed, UNICEF data estimates that 999,000 students are out of the classroom.

In this context, in 28 different schools in Sindhupalchowk and Lalitpur that Teach For Nepal Fellows are currently teaching, the absent rate of the students is comparatively.

2013 Fellow Isha Shrestha said, “our children are very happy to eat lunch at school along with other classmates and seniors, this way their trauma is being eased too”.

“We are glad that we are providing our students and the community with a little support, this way we are not only teaching our students but helping their families as well” added Suman Gyawali, 2015 Fellow.

Both Shrestha and Gyawali teach at Udayakharka Ma Vi.

Rameshwor Deshar, Principal of Jyotidaya Cooperative School said that the attendance is almost 99 percent in the school. He also informed that the drop out rate of the students is also very low.

“Immediately after the earthquake, I had thought now we will not be able to run the school but with support of all teachers, community, Teach For Nepal we were able to run the school” , Deshar said.

He also added that children are really happy for the lunch and as everyone eats at school from small children to the teachers it has created a bond between students and the school.

Along with “Mid-Day Meal”, Teach For Nepal is also providing stationery materials including uniforms and pysho-social support to the students, so as to bringing back the students to the classroom and resuming the teaching and learning process.