You can read about our work at:

1. Annual Report Summary (2015 – 2019) – Our annual reports as a Public Company. Our annual reports as an Incorporated Association(VIC) from 2012 – 2014 will be online soon.

2. Nepal Earthquake Aid Program Report (2015) – report on our aid work to help repair and revive rural Nepali schools affected by the disaster.

3. Preparing to Teach in Nepal, 2nd Ed (2020) – A practical guide for international volunteers and professionals who want to prepare themselves to teach or volunteer in schools in Nepal.

4. A Report on Ten Years in Nepal (2022) Our reflection on ten years of helping communities access the resources, information, skills and technologies they need to provide educational opportunities for their children.

The guide was compiled over eight years of working with volunteer teachers placed in Nepali schools and draws on observations and interviews with local teaching staff, Nepali students, and volunteers. It provided an evidence based approach to preparing, as an overseas teacher, to conduct classes in Nepal and identify simple, powerful and ‘appropriate’ ways of teaching that aligns with the local curriculum and engages and resonates positively with students and their teachers. The focus is on teaching in primary and lower secondary schools, but there are lessons for teaching in other domains such as building knowledge and skills within communities.

This information would also appeal to teacher training institutions placing students in Nepal with a focus on: preparing their students for the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse school systems; and, who wish to provide unique opportunities for their students to expand their experiences and develop skills in working with diversity. The guide also highlights the need for teachers to prepare to be completely immersed in a different educational, cultural and linguistic environment and to be aware of how it may help shape their beliefs and reinforce behaviours that are consistent with building personal resilience and leadership.

ISBN: 978-0-6480203-1-8

Click on image to download the PDF (8mb).

The first episode focuses on our work and the efforts of our CEO, Mark Pinoli. Please watch the episode to see the impact we have been making on rural communities in Nepal.

Follow Shan and Everyday Heroes on Facebook.

The original server with upgrades continues to power 11 terminals and the children are now experiencing internet speeds that allow videos to be streamed fast – around 20MB/s.

We are very happy to see that our efforts are continuing to help provide a quality education to new students every year.

Thank you to the Centre Manager Ves Raj Bastola for sending us your video report on the Astam Computer Centre. Without your tireless effort, the Centre would not have continued for so long.

Our first empowerment initiative was the student scholarship program. We have awarded hundreds of scholarships to economically and socially disadvantaged children to help lower the barriers they face in accessing a quality education. Around 65% of the general scholarships were awarded to girls. Our prestigious Anne van Riel Scholarships were awarded exclusively to girls who faced significant obstacles that affected their education, and who showed dedication to their studies. The program also had the commitment of teachers and community leaders who mentored and supported the girls and encouraged them to achieve their best at school.

We have also contributed to women’s empowerment through our technology for leadership, education and entrepreneurship programs. Although our primary focus has been on education in rural schools, we also recognise that women have a key influence on decisions in the family that have an impact on the well-being and development of children. By supporting women, we have not only worked towards their empowerment, but also helped to create a positive future for their children.

As discussed earlier, in the Dhital VDC, we managed a two-year project to deliver digital literacy training workshops to local women that focused on their needs. The workshop introduced participants to computer technology, essential software for business and personal use, email and communications programs, and how to access information on the internet. This program was developed in conjunction with Microsoft Nepal and the Astam Women’s Group.

In the Hemja Municipality, located near Dhital VDC, we installed a new computer facility at the Hemja Women’s Cooperative building. The group supported around 1,000 women in the area and we provided a similar training program with ongoing support to their facility management team.

Our team visited the cooperative eight months later to conduct a follow-up assessment of our project. The computers have become a valued resource for the group, so much so that the sewing machines used to teach women tailoring skills for generating income, had been moved to the basement to make way for more computers donated by the government. We observed student members searching for information for their assignments using Google, middle-aged women accessing their Gmail accounts, and business owners producing advertising materials and menus on Microsoft Word.

We were encouraged by the determination shown by the women to make the technology work for their purposes. They wanted to develop their skills to increase opportunities for securing work and to promote their businesses, as well as to communicate with clients, friends and family.

Given the success in Dhital and Hemja, we responded favourably to an appeal made by the Pragati Women’s Cooperative for an ICT program in the Syangja District. As discussed below, we installed a computer facility at the Cooperative building and worked with its management committee to develop a training program that would best serve the needs of the organisation and its members. The result was an intensive two-week workshop that focused on developing the ICT skills of participants and introduced them to technology-enabled business and learning opportunities.

Participants were divided into three daily shifts to ensure that participants were able to receive individualised assistance. Our training coordinator and one of our Board members, Sudip Aryal, said “it was a touching moment to see local women curiously learning computers who have managed to join the class after completing their regular agriculture work in their field. I am very happy to have dedicated my time to the training to help them realise their aspirations.”

Over the years, we have seen the rise of Facebook in Nepal to become an important tool for communication. In 2018, the Kathmandu Post Newspaper reported that social media marketing had become an effective way to promote products and services on a small budget with high impact, thanks to a rapidly growing number of social media users in the country.

In both the Dhital and Syangja training programs, we helped participants sign up for a Facebook account and provided guidance on how to best use the platform for business purposes.

We were also able to show participants the importance of Facebook for personal use. Many Nepalis have sought employment abroad, and international labor migration has become a major way for individuals to support their families. Overseas workers are in the millions and the money they send home accounts for one-quarter of national GDP. Facebook has become an important way for families to stay connected.

During one of the Pragati workshop sessions, Kamala Poudel (50), cried after adding her son to her newly created Facebook account. She was able to talk with him via Messenger for the first time. Her son, who was in Dubai at the time, was surprised to see her friend request and replied “what will you do with Facebook Mum?” Her reply was “talk to you of course!” Kamala said “it is a common situation that many of our family members and relatives are outside Syangja District or even outside Nepal. So I will now use Facebook to communicate with them from time-to-time.”

At the conclusion of the workshop, the Cooperative management reported that they felt more confident of managing their micro-finance operations using the computers. They were able to write letters and prepare reports in Word, create bills in Excel and make presentations in PowerPoint. They were using the facility to access information, use the computers as an e-library resource, and communicate more effectively using Gmail, Facebook and Skype.

When we first met Tara Aryal, Pragati Coop President, in 2014, she said in frustration “every time that we want to do something, we are always asking men for help.” Her words resonated with the Logged On team and we had discussions about how we could help address Tara’s concern. We were able to respond in two ways.

Firstly, through confidence building program. At the end of the two week ICT workshop, our training partners the NRIDS took the opportunity of adding a short community leadership program where a number of prominent community members engaged participants in interactive confidence and community-oriented skills building exercises. They also reinforced the importance access to information technologies was for independent life-long learning, business and networking opportunities.

Secondly, by presenting an opportunity for the Cooperative to be visible agents for positive change. In 2018, we were able to secure funding and Australian volunteer help for a community project (discussed in the next section). We asked the Cooperative if there were any pressing problem in the local community which we could help solve which would benefit the local children and community as a whole. They identified a community health project and the need for the construction of a communal latrine and wash facility in a nearby village. We accepted their proposal and asked them to take a lead in the community consultation and decision-making process. The project was successfully completed in 2019, largely due to their management efforts.
 
 

Xtreme Adventures, led by Jack Carmody and Russ Tomlin, will be taking a team from WorkSafe Victoria, Victoria Police and Sibelco to Gokyo Lakes / Everest Base Camp on a Leadership and Teamwork Development Program. At the end of the Program, the Xtreme Adventures Team will journey with Logged On to an area near Pokhara and start a hands-on project to improve sanitation conditions for a rural community.

In Nepal, the fact that only 62% of the population have access to adequate sanitation facilities means that serious diseases such as dysentery, cholera and typhoid are a constant danger. Beyond the community, the lack of effective waste disposal or sewerage systems can contaminate ecosystems and contribute to disease pandemics. The World Health Organization estimates that diarrheal diseases cause the deaths of thousands of children under five years old every year.

The Foundation received an appeal from the women’s community support group in the Syangja District for the construction of a communal latrine and wash facility. Logged On and the team accepted the challenge and will be in the District in late April to manage its construction. The aim of the project is simple – complete the facility so that there will be a significant reduction of preventable diseases in the area.

To ensure the success of our project, the team will be conducting its own fundraising efforts to purchase materials and pay local labourers for the construction. The group will also work beside local people to help complete the facility.

The team reached Everest Base Camp and completed a community assistance project in the Gorkha District in 2017. A sustainable water catchment/supply and computer center was installed at the Bal Mandir School and Orphanage with over 330 children and 15 staff members being helped as a result (see our article). This is the second of many charity projects that we plan on undertaking with our partner over the coming years.

Please support this project by donating at the GOFUNDME website.

Please enjoy our presentations outlining our approach and project outcomes from our earlier work in the Dhital VDC, Kaski District.
 
 

We were able to secure permission from the Gorkha District Education Office (DEO) to provide further assistance through the reconstruction of a four-room building at the lower level, with the capacity to add an upper floor at a later date. The plans used for the reconstruction are for a government-approved, earthquake-resistant building. The DEO agreed to monitor the project to ensure that it follows government guidelines, and to audit the project on completion.

So far the building foundations, reinforcement, walls and windows have been completed. In June this financial year, we were able to transfer just under $10,000 to commence the completion of a concrete roof. The school was also able to secure a donation from the Rotary Club of Melbourne as a contribution to the funding to complete the roof.

Logged On’s connection with the Rotary Club of Gorkha allowed us to establish a connection between the two Clubs and the donation was transferred to Rotary Gorkha for presentation to the Chandra Kala school Principal.