Her days start at dawn. At just six in the morning, Shreya is already up and busy, helping her mom with chores like cooking, fetching water, and gathering grass. By the time she’s finished, there’s little time left for studying. With her family’s income barely enough to meet their basic needs, even having consistent meals is often a challenge.

But Shreya’s world began to change when UWS Rambeni opened its doors. Her mother, who works as a daily wage earner, has noticed a remarkable difference in Shreya’s attitude toward school. “Since the school opened, my daughter’s view of school has changed,” she says. Three years ago, when Shreya first enrolled, she could only attend about 60 percent of the time, as household chores often kept her away. But with the support of the school staff, regular visits to her home, and community campaigns encouraging attendance, Shreya’s dedication grew. Today, she hardly ever misses a day and attends school around 90 percent of the time.

UWS Rambeni has provided Shreya with so much more than just a place to learn. The school has equipped her with educational materials and a uniform—gifts that have brought both comfort and motivation. “The uniforms and materials my daughter receives encourage her to go to school regularly,” her mother explains. And it’s clear these simple things have made a difference. Shreya’s grades have steadily improved; in her recent exams, she scored 75 percent across her five main subjects, a leap from the 50 percent she managed when she first joined.

Outside of school, Shreya enjoys reading, playing games, and spending time with friends—precious moments that allow her to just be a child, even with all her responsibilities at home. And despite these, she holds onto a dream that brings her hope: one day, she wants to be a teacher, inspired by the support and encouragement she’s found in her school and community.

Shreya’s story is a testament to the power of education and a supportive environment. UWS Rambeni has opened up possibilities for her that once seemed out of reach, giving her not only the resources to learn but also the confidence to believe in her future. And, through all the challenges she faces, Shreya’s dream of becoming a teacher continues to shine brightly.

Photo and Story Credits: Chandika Karki 

But Rakshya’s love for learning shines through. She eagerly attends school and cherishes the time spent studying and playing with her friends. “I love studying and playing with my friends,” she says. Through the Girl’s Club at her school, she has discovered not just education, but her voice.

Dreaming of becoming a teacher to nurture minds like her, Rakshya sees education as the gateway to a better future.  She is inspired by the educators in her school who have been helping her to read, write, count and dream; a dream away from poverty into prosperity.

Rakshya’s story is not just one of struggle and sacrifice, it is a testament to the transformative power of education to uplift and inspire. As she takes her first steps towards her dreams, Rakshya carries with her the strong faith that with courage and determination, she could achieve anything in life.

Meet Binita (name changed), a 10-year-old student in the third grade at UWS Rambeni in Sankhuwasabha district. Her story is one of courage and determination that will warm your heart. Binita comes from a family of six. She has three older brothers, all studying in the city. However, her life took a different path early on. She lives with her father and grandmother, and her mother’s absence looms over her daily life.

Her mother passed away shortly after Binita was born, leaving her deprived of the warmth and love only a mother can provide. Binita often finds herself missing her mother, wondering about the face she never got to see. Life is not easy for Binita and her family.

Her father works as a daily wage laborer, so she takes on household chores like cooking and cleaning. Every Thursday, she goes to the local market to sell vegetables and tamarind from their home to cover her school expenses. The journey to school takes Binita nearly an hour, but she makes it with unwavering determination. Her favorite subject? Mathematics. She has big dreams, dreams that shine brighter than the challenges she faces.

Binita aspires to become a nurse, to serve and care for the ill and the suffering. Binita’s story is a testament to the strength that can be found in the most unexpected places. In the face of adversity, she persists, her dreams guiding her forward. At the tender age of ten, her spirit shines brightly, brimming with dreams and boundless hope.

The majority of inhabitants in the community she lives in belong to the Rai community, while a few people from mixed communities, including people from Chettri community, also live there. 

Asha’s father is the breadwinner of the family. He is a construction labor, and her mother is a homemaker. Because of the poor financial situation, Asha, along with her siblings, had to quit boarding school as the family couldn’t afford the fees. “Sometimes we didn’t even have the money to buy stationeries for the children, there was no way we could afford the expensive fees of the boarding school,” shares Asha’s mother.

Because her parents wanted their children to continue their studies, they began looking for an alternative to boarding school. “After knowing that the UWS school had been providing quality education similar to that of the boarding school and would provide required facilities to families with poor economic background, we decided to enroll our children in the UWS school,” says her mother.

Asha loves going to school, learning new things, and playing with her friends. According to her parents, It was she who insisted on going to the UWS school. Apart from studying, she likes dancing, writing, and reading. 

Her favorite subject is Nepali because she can understand the language and loves reading stories and essays in the Nepali language. She is also involved in the recently introduced STEAM Club in her school. The club is an initiative to create a learning space that connects ideas with reality and aims to enhance Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) education among the students. “I am very happy to join the club as I am learning new things together with my friends every day,” she says.

Asha is thankful to UWS Nepal for establishing a good school near her house as she got the opportunity to study. “I think I would be very sad if I didn’t get the chance to go to school and study. Seeing the other children, including my friends, going to school would further make me sad,” she shares. 

Asha loves playing with her siblings while she is at home. She also likes to help her mother around the house. “My mother works a lot at home, so I try to help her as much as I can during my free time,” she says. Sometimes she does the dishes and cleans the house.

Asha is doing well in her studies according to her teachers. Her parents are very proud of her as she is enjoying her school life and doing really well in her studies. In the future, she dreams of becoming a doctor and providing health facilities to poor people in her community.

Manoj, who is very interested in reading stories and playing games, spends his time studying after completing the work at home and playing with his friends during his free time.

Despite being busy with housework, Manoj has been attending school regularly, and his family is proud of his consistent attendance. Previously, he did not like to go to school because of household work and the long distance from his home to school. Manoj was admitted as a new student at UWS Kanpur at the beginning of the academic year. His average attendance within seven months of joining the school was 47 percent.

However, the various interventions run to retain students like him by UWS under the Dropout Prevention Program (DPP) including regular monitoring, door-to-door campaigns, and providing school uniforms and educational materials, motivated him to go to school every day. Also, parent counseling was conducted by the UWS team to help his parents understand the importance of education and send him to school regularly. His attendance increased to 81% and his academic performance also improved according to his teachers. His second terminal examination showed 67% of achievement in major five subjects, which was only 34% previously.

“I am very happy with the improvement of Manoj in his studies and look forward to him achieving greater things in the future,” says Manoj’s father.

Everyone in the school, including the Headteacher, is very impressed with Manoj and his academic results. “I want to continue my studies and serve my country in the future,” says Manoj.

From 2021 to 2024, we’re partnering with the Education Above All Foundation’s Educate A Child Programme to support more than 5,100 children in Cambodia and Nepal to stay in school and realise their full potential.