NEPCAM
Helping poor communities in Nepal
Nepcam is an initiative of a group of people in Australia
who help poor communities in Nepal
Nepcam's Mission
Nepcam’s Mission is to enhance the quality of life for women and children in poor communities, our focal country being Nepal.
Nepcam's Vision
The overall vision of Nepcam is poverty eradication and sustainable development for families in poor Nepali communities.
We have, as a major focus, the importance of education within communities. Our Australian supporters provide the funding which allows Nepcam to enhance the quality of education and the numbers educated in Nepali communities on a long-term sustainable basis.
This is achieved with a variety of important practical and direct initiatives. Because we have a unique policy that Nepcam administration sponsors pay for all overheads, every cent of your child sponsorship money, $27.00 per month (fully tax deductible), goes to the indigenous recipients in the communities through a variety of programs and projects. These include:
- aid funding - paid directly to schools for sustainable infrastructure projects which benefit the whole student body,
- the provision of school resources (such as books, uniforms etc.) - to ensure that poor children do not miss starting or continuing their school for want of school necessities - particularly at the start of new academic years,
- providing primary teacher professional development courses, and
- making available a savings grant to students leaving secondary school who wish to continue with higher education and gain tertiary or trade qualifications. Students undertaking higher/further studies will directly increase the knowledge and skills base in their communities, and directly alleviate poverty and raise living standards.
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This newly sponsored child is receiving
her first school uniform at the age of 14
Another major thrust of our aid program is to assist women who wish to start or enhance their own micro-business such that they are better able to support their families on a sustainable basis. This is our Community Projects Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) program. We currently support over 100 SMEs.
Although the majority of our aid is directed to Nepal we also provide assistance to poor communities in Cambodia.
Please read on below to find out about the following Nepcam initiatives and programs or, if you prefer, go straight to the following pages by clicking on the headings:
- Our History
- Why are we so unique?
- Child Education Sponsorship Program
- Community Development Projects
- Teacher College Project
- Gift Shop
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Nepcam began in 2005 with the sponsorship of one child in Nepal. This child, Sunita, was nine years old and was in a class where Dr Colin Woodley was teaching English, on a voluntary basis, in a school in Nayabazaar, Kathmandu.
One Friday afternoon, after school, Sunita took Colin home to her dilapidated room to meet her family of ten. They were very poor indeed and from that time on Sunita received support for her education. Returning to Australia, Colin told his family and friends about Sunita and wrote articles in the local Manly Daily and some other publications. Sunita with her family 
As a direct result of this publicity, Nepcam's sponsorships grew quickly. As at 1 April 2010, Nepcam has provided assistance to over 400 children, mothers, teachers and adolescents in communities within Nepal and Cambodia.
Sunita with Dr Woodley
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Nepcam is unique because it delivers every cent to the children, their school or their families. The organisation is a totally voluntary organisation. It has no paid employees. Further, it has all its administrative services paid for by special donors, or the services are provided on a voluntary basis without charge or expense in Australia or overseas.
The various members and supporters of the organisation, including the CEO, perform their duties without wages, salaries, other charges or expense claims for any overhead or administrative cost.
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Nepcam commenced its Child Education Sponsorship Program initiatives in 2005 and, since that date, the number of children sponsored has grown from 1 child to currently over 300 children.
In communities within Nepal, children in poor economic circumstances are unable to obtain a quality of education without support and development aid. Nepcam achieves this through its direct provision of development funds to community schools via funding projects and programs which benefit the whole of the student body. Examples are the provision of professional development classes for the teaching staffs and the building of school infrastructure and facilities.Following the procedures and processes encouraged by the Australian Government's Overseas Aid Program (AusAID), the communities nominate the children to be sponsored from the poorest families. In effect, Nepcam sponsorship means a sponsor is linked to a specific child such that his or her future can be closely monitored through direct regular contact (letters, e-mails, photographs, school attendance and academic progress reports) and the opportunity to visit the child and the relevant school. Nepcam has policies in place for all sponsor-child contact according to Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) guidelines.
In Nepcam we have further developed the traditional sponsorship model. Our local indigenous social worker partners visit the homes and schools of the children to assess and check the information provided on each child by his or her community to ensure that the following criteria are:
- the child comes from poor economic circumstances,
- the child has a caring mother and family who values education and who will encourage the child while he or she is at school, and
- the child is willing to attend school regularly and is determined to try his or her best, both at home and at school, to achieve good results.
Nepcam emphasises that individual needs are best met through long term and sustainable community development programs. Notwithstanding this, direct assistance may be provided in certain circumstances to individual mothers and children: for example, there may be needs for short term support for school necessities such as fees, books, uniforms etc. School books and supplies
are sometimes unaffordable
At the same time, they benefit from the higher social status they achieve through being able to provide a regular additional income stream from their successful and sustainable Nepcam sponsored project and from the status of being able to send their children to school.
Each course will provide teachers with six months of free training, which will help them to enhance their professional teaching and class management skills. The teacher is also given e-mail access to their sponsors, who will be encouraged to offer technical support along with tips based on their individual experiences.
Why not send a Nepcam gift to someone for their birthday or on a special occasion, such as at Christmas and, at the same time, help those in need in Nepal. We have gift options in our catalogue to match any wallet, and we will send a handsome Donation Card to you so that you can forward it to your chosen recipient.
Funds for this program are accumulated as a percentage of each sponsorship dollar such that in cases where a street child or exceptionally disadvantaged child needs one or more of these items in order to attend school, our local overseas Non-Government Organisation (NGO) partner will provide this support from within the Child Education Sponsorship Program, based upon its social workers' on-the-ground observations and assessment. These direct assistance activities are not considered welfare, as they ensure participation and commitment of communities to education and longer term integrated sustainable community development as well as the protection of children's rights and interests.
A unique part of the Nepcam initiative, which has drawn universally high praise from families in Nepal, is the provision of funds (accumulated as a percentage of every sponsorship dollar) for higher / further education for children wishing to continue their education to gain trade or professional qualifications. Too often this is not possible because of a lack of funds within the families after sponsorship comes to a halt when the child leaves secondary school. Nepcam provides funding for talented children, who are ambitious enough to proceed to tertiary study, on application to our indigineous partner. Because the NGO's social workers have already had some years of contact with the family, they are in a position to assess each application on its merits. When a child is educated to reach professional or trade status, the result is not just the improved lot of one child and his or her family but there is a multiplying effect for the community, and indeed their country.
If you would like to support our Child Education Sponsorship Program, click on this link and it will take you to our set up page:
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Nepcam commenced its Community Development Project initiatives in Nepal in 2005 and since that date have supported a wide range of projects for needy communities of women who have the interest, potential and enthusiasm to undertake small or medium-sized business enterprises (SMEs).
World wide experience working in developing countries shows that women are the family carers and are responsible loan re-payers who invest their income for the wellbeing of their families.
At the same time, they benefit from the higher social status they achieve through being able to provide a regular additional income stream from their successful and sustainable Nepcam sponsored project and from the status of being able to send their children to school. Nepcam provided a grant to help
this family set up a small business
Nepcam has grouped together specific SMEs for specific communities. The grouping has been done for three reasons:
- to provide a more meaningful assessment of the total aid being provided to a community,
- to facilitate consistency and efficiency of planning and design by our Nepali NGO business partner in conjunction with the women recipients,
- to aggregate budgeting and subsequent approvals by Nepcam, and
- to provide accurate interaction, communication, monitoring and reporting by our NGO partner which, in turn, permits good feedback to our sponsors who make cash donations specifically to our Community Development Projects.
Depending on the recipient's circumstances, Nepcam is currently supporting SMEs by providing to the women entrepreneur borrowers:
- an interest free loan, or
- a subsidised interest loan.
Nepcam's objectives are to address the causes of poverty and help disadvantaged families to become self-sufficient. Our Community Development Projects encourage Australians to contribute towards eliminating existing poverty and address its root causes through a wide variety of projects to help the disadvantaged indigenous communities to help themselves. This mother was provided a grant
to open this restaurant
If you would like to support one of our Community Development Projects, click on the tab at the top left hand side of this page which says, 'Sponsor a Community Project' and you will be provided with further information.
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Nepcam also has a major focus on the professional development of teachers in Nepal. Teachers are poorly paid, perhaps earning as little as $100 a month and they cannot afford to pay for professional development courses. Thus the vast majority of Nepali teachers have not had any such training,
Nepcam currently works in 52 schools in Nepal on a voluntary basis, often as teachers. While working at the grass roots level, with the help of the Principals, Nepcam volunteers have observed that teachers would greatly benefit from professional support and training.
A group of teachers in Kathmandu
relax before starting their day
Nepcam is now working progressively toward funding a Teacher's College, beginning with two Primary Teacher's Development courses, the first two of which are being held in 2010.
Nepcam launched its innovative 'Sponsor a Teacher' program in late 2009 by having some articles printed in publications read by Australian teachers. The response was overwhelming, and for a once-off payment of $150.00 many Australian teachers are now sponsoring the attendance of Nepali teachers on professional development courses.
On each course there are 25 teachers, specially selected by their school Principal and the local community, based on their economic background and their potential to maximise their training. Our local partner NGO, in conjunction with Nepcam's CEO, interviews the nominated applicants for selection on the course.
Dr Colin Woodley lecturing on the
Professional Development Course
for Nepali teachers
Each course will provide teachers with six months of free training, which will help them to enhance their professional teaching and class management skills. The teacher is also given e-mail access to their sponsors, who will be encouraged to offer technical support along with tips based on their individual experiences.A teacher in her class in Kathmandu
Sometimes, we teachers in Australia need reminding that we are not as poorly off as we sometimes like to think. Being able to be in touch with teachers in Nepal creates a great cultural link as well as being a contributor to social justice.
If you would like to support our Teacher College Project, click on the tab at the top left hand of this page where is says 'Sponsor a Teacher' and you will be provided with further information.
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In Australia, we are often challenged by the dilemma that comes from having so many gifts, so much to eat and drink – in a world that is, in places, so poor and hungry and in need.
Why not send a Nepcam gift to someone for their birthday or on a special occasion, such as at Christmas and, at the same time, help those in need in Nepal. We have gift options in our catalogue to match any wallet, and we will send a handsome Donation Card to you so that you can forward it to your chosen recipient. Each of these children were provided
with a bike through the Gift Shop,
which enabled them to travel to school.
If you would like to send a gift to someone special from our large range of items in our Gift Shop, click on the tab at the top left hand of this page where is says 'Gift Shop' and you will be provided with further information.
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Check us out on Facebook
If you would like to check out our Facebook page, tap your cursor on the tab below!!
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Nepcam is approved by AusAID and subsequently the Australian Taxation Office as a Deductible Gift Recipient. Any donation of $2.00 or above is fully tax deductible!
It is certain that no other aid agency can give better value for a sponsor’s dollar!
You can contact Nepcam in Australia by e-mail, telephone, facsimile or mail.
If you want immediate answers to your questions, please telephone Dr Colin Woodley on (02) 9999 2502 from within Australia or +61 2 9999 2502 if you are overseas.
Email: enquiries@nepcam.org.au
Telephone: (02) 9999 2502 or +61 2 9999 2502
Facsimile: (02) 9997 3145 or +61 2 9997 3145
Mail: 59 Prince Alfred Parade
Newport NSW 2106
Australia
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