The Need

• 33% of rural women have no formal education
  
• 31% of rural women are illiterate
  
• 75% of rural women do not pass the SLC (national exam that is required for higher educational opportunities)
  
• ​The average age an uneducated women marries is 16.8 years; the average age an educated women marries is 21.4 years

• 77% of working men are paid in cash for their work; only 52% of working women are paid for their work
• 59% of women do not have a bank account
• ​28% of women are involved in decision making for their families (decisions regarding finances, medical care and family visits)

• 40% of rural schoolchildren under 5 years are stunted (stunting is a sign of chronic malnutrition)
• 10% of rural schoolchildren are wasted and 27% are underweight
• 56% of rural schoolchildren are anemic; 40% rural girls are anemic (increased from 36% to 41%)
• infant mortality of children with uneducated mother is high (62 deaths per 1,000 live births) vs. an educated mother (21 deaths per 1,000 live births)

"Why do I need to educate my daughter?; she will just grow up to work in the fields and take care of the family."

-Anonymous father

"After school, I help my family, carrying corn and working in the fields. It is my responsibility."

​--Pabina Thapa

"The children come to school hungry. How can they focus on their studies when their stomachs are empty?"

-Tanka Dahal, principal