KATHMANDU: World Education Nepal is going to launch a new project ‘Naya Bato Naya Paila’ (New Path, New Steps) soon, with an aim to providing ‘quality education’ and training to children engaged in worst forms of child labour and prevent others at risk.

Talking to The Himalayan Times today, Chij Kumar Shrestha, country director, World Education Nepal, said that the project would offer ‘new learning’ and employment paths’ for exploited children and those at risk.

It may be recalled here that the US Department of Labor in September last year had awarded nearly US$ 59 million to eliminate exploitive child labour in 19 countries around the world. Nepal, one of the beneficiaries, received a grant amounting to US $ 4.25 million for three years.

As the plan goes, the World Education, in association with Terres des hommes Foundation, will be working together to strengthen the government policy and engagement in child labour issues, raise awareness about the role of education in eliminating exploitative child labour and support research and data collection on child labor.

Shrestha said that the project has a 39-month-long tenure and has the target of reaching out to 15,000 child laborers. He added saying that the 50 per cent of the funds would be targeted to those children currently involved in domestic works, restaurants, massage parlours and porters while the remaining 50 per cent would be allocated for the children at risk.

The project will be launched in 15 districts, 10 of them with different forms of child labour and five identified as risk-districts.

Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Dhading, Makawanpur, Khotang, Okhaldhunga, Kaski, Chitwan and Sarlahi are the implementation districts and Sindhupalchok, Kavre, Nuwakot, Dhading and Makawanpur are the preventive districts.

He said, “We are conducting baseline survey currently and after its thorough analysis, we would be providing them formal, informal or vocational education on the basis of their educational need.” The project also aims to engage their parents in income generating activities so that they could raise some funds to bear the cost for their children’s education, he said, adding, “The children would be given scholarships during the first year, while they have to bear the cost themselves from second year.”

“Targeted children below 18 would be incorporated in the project but the children below 14 would be focused highly as the law prohibits the engagement of such children in labour,” he added.