The statistic is staggering to comprehend.
In an especially marginalized ethnic group in a rugged district of Nepal south of the bustling capital city of Kathmandu, only one per cent of women can read and write.
This group, said Frances Klatzel, co-founder and chair of CORE, is the recipient of the non-profit organization’s newest efforts, providing funding for children from this group to attend school and for a social worker to work with parents and encourage them to send their kids to school and not drop out.
“Girls are a priority since only one per cent of women in this group can read and write,” Klatzel said.
Founded in 2005, CORE International (Creating Opportunities & Resources for the Excluded) partners with local NGOs in Nepal to help the “poorest of the poor” who fall through the cracks of other established aid programs. CORE works to bridge groups of people, organizations, and individuals who are able to provide services and support that benefit the education, health, literacy and saving and credit skills of those most in need. They include people who face discrimination, who live in areas with few opportunities, or the urban poor who migrated to urban areas for employment. Most are women and children who benefit greatly from projects that help them establish their own micro credit programs, and facilitate children attending school.
Funds focused on CORE’s newest group of recipients pay for the students’ school supplies, food allowance, tutorial classes and extra-curricular student activities. The funds also support an orientation for the parents on the importance of education, plus training on human rights, leadership and income generation.
Gradually, the project will link the parents with existing saving-credit groups. In its first year, the project will support 40 children, plus at least 40 to 60 parents and other family members, as well as provide employment for facilitator and teachers.
“We are also looking at how to help these families be more resilient to the flooding that happens every monsoon, but was much worse this year,” Klatzel said.
A longtime Bow Valley resident who spends much of her year living in Kathmandu, Klatzel will share an update on CORE’s on-going projects as part of a showing of the internationally acclaimed film White Sun, a portrait of family tensions and societal challenges in post-civil war Nepal by Nepali director Deepak Raunyiar.
The film is part of CORE’s annual Bow Valley fundraising event happening tonight, Oct. 12 at artsPlace starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance or at the door. Visit https://artsplacecanmore.com/whats-on/details/white-sun for tickets, or www.core-international.org for more information.
