Dubai: More than 550 children are benefiting from two schools in Nepal and Senegal funded by Dubai Holding in partnership with Dubai Cares.
Dubai Holding announced on Saturday that the schools have opened their gates for young seekers of knowledge.
Located in the villages of Dhakka in Nepal and Kaffrine 2 Sud in Senegal, the schools provide a fully equipped three-classroom space for children aged six to 14.
More than 400 boys and girls are enrolled in the Dhakka school and more than 100 are enrolled in the Kaffrine 2 Sud school, with nearly 20 teachers in total responsible for primary school classes.
As the sponsor of the schools, Dubai Holding’s donation provided the engineering and building materials and skilled labour force to work on the land provided by the villages, supervising each of the various tasks involved from start to completion.
With the aim to help improve the low literacy rates in Nepal and Senegal, especially in rural communities like Dhakka and Kaffrine 2 Sud, these villages were asked to sign a pledge promising to send girls and boys to school in equal numbers. According to the latest statistics by CIA’s World Factbook, the national adult literacy rate in Nepal is just over 50 per cent, and in Senegal only 62 per cent of men and 39 per cent of women can read and write.
This significant educational investment was therefore designed to benefit the whole community, with involvement from parents as well as other members of society. The parents in particular had a notable role in the building of these schools for their children, contributing a combined 2,000 volunteer workdays.
With the support received from Dubai Holding, the programme will continue to work with the Dhakka and Kaffrine 2 Sud communities to identify out-of-school children and drive enrolment at these schools, while collaborating with the local Ministry of Education on expansion of facilities and educational resources to cater to the increasing number of students.
Amit Kaushal, CEO of Dubai Holding, said: “We are delighted to have delivered on our first long-term international commitment impacting not just individuals but also their families and their entire community. What makes these initiatives in Nepal and Senegal extremely special for Dubai Holding is that we are helping to ensure the basic human right to education, one of the most effective tools to break the cycle of poverty. Our schools help both countries increase literacy rates in one community at a time.”
