Dates: 2009 – 2013
Funded by: US Department of Labor (DOL)
In Nepal, the worst forms of child labor (WFCL) are a significant problem. Nepal’s lack of compulsory education, low minimum working age, and inadequate enforcement of labor laws all contribute to this problem.
Naya Bato Naya Paila (NBNP), or New Path New Steps, is a project funded by the US Department of Labor and aims to eradicate child labor in Nepal by working within school systems to provide alternative vocational opportunities; engaging the government to strengthen policy and capacity for involvement in child labor issues; increasing access to case management systems for children; and increasing public knowledge on child labor-related issues. It is one of the largest anti-child labor projects currently being implemented in Nepal.
Building on the DOL-funded Brighter Futures Project, NBNP takes on key gaps in existing child-labor programming by drawing on World Education’s thematic expertise in prevention and removal, and regional experience in districts with some of the highest rates of child labor. Where the Brighter Futures focused primarily on removing and protecting children, NBNP picks up with a more holistic approach that includes partnering with government organizations to strengthen policy implementation and existing child protection systems. NBNP targets the brick making, domestic labor, mining, portering, and zari/embroidered textile industries, as well as commercial sexual exploitation of children.
To date World Education has achieved the following cross-cutting results:
- 14,905 beneficiaries, including both children in WFCL and Children at Risk, have received educational services;
- 8,688 children have been withdrawn from WFCL;
- Over 682 families have received family livelihood support;
- 1,051 children of working age have participated in vocational education or practical skills training including apprenticeships, use of skill training centers, and the Self-Employment and Economic Education Program (SEEP).
NBNP also engages the government to strengthen policy and capacity for involvement in child labor issues. In response to the upcoming government school reforms which will include vocational orientation in basic education (Grades 1-8), NBNP team members are working with local schools and the Department of Education as well as the Curriculum Development Centre to develop an integrated pre-vocational education curriculum for school students. The pre-vocational curriculum places emphasis on learning the soft skills needed to make a vocational choice viable.
The project has also conducted action research and rapid assessments on specific program issues which contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of the project. The MIS Tracking system has been an integral part of tracking beneficiary progress and the system contains individual data on over 130,000 beneficiaries from child labor projects alone. The research and data from these efforts strengthens larger information systems that provide more reliable information and data for use in planning.