DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS

By TC Correspondent

Suresh Aryal
President
RODEC Nepal

Suresh Aryal has been serving as the President of RODEC Nepal since its establishment in 2003. Prior to this, he worked as a researcher for 12 years at New Era (1990-2002). He has also worked at the AIDS Control and Prevention (AIDSCAP) Project for two years.The Right Oriented Development Centre (RODEC) Nepal was established in 2003 with the aim to providing the basic rights to underprivileged and deprived people, especially women and children. A non-government and non-profit organisation, RODEC Nepal has been supporting and protecting marginalised people who do not have access to their basic rights by conducting various awareness programmes on education and health issues.

“Over the past eight years, we have actively worked for the rights of the poor. We have been conducting different educational, health related and income generating programmes to inspire these people so that they can live a better life,” said Suresh Aryal, President of RODEC Nepal. RODEC Nepal aims at helping build an impartial society where men, women and children all enjoy their basic rights. Eight from its establishment, RODEC Nepal has been:

• Running human rights educational programmes to raise awareness among the Nepalis.
• Conducting different trainings, workshops, group discussions and street dramas on caste and gender issues.
• Providing education to the very poor, low caste, marginalised children for their skill development.
• Providing basic health services and access to nutritious food to the underprivileged children.
• Carrying out income generating programmes and vocational training to improve the standard of life of underprivileged people.
• Protecting and help reintegrating victimised children into society.
• Drawing government attention to the victimised women, men and children.

At present, the organisation is supported by Kam For Sud, a Swiss NGO. Kam For Sud has been continuously providing financial support to RODEC since January 2009. "Before Kam For Sud, we were supported by Actionaid," informed Aryal. With the financial help from Kam For Sud, RODEC Nepal has established a day-care centre at Dhumbarai in Kathmandu. Underprivileged children receive care and education at the centre. Also, the mothers of these children receive vocational training for income generation. At present, there are 50 children in the centre. "The children's parents, too, have benefited from the centre as they do not have the burden of feeding their children. "We are happy to see both the children and their families are happy," said Aryal. Aryal added that RODEC Nepal's programmes have saved these children from becoming street children. "The parents of these children work the whole day. Yet what they earn is not enough to pay for even the basic family needs. As a result, the children are abandoned and quickly become street children for survival. We bring such children here and provide them education and food. There are children from 43 districts at our centre," said Aryal. According to Aryal, RODEC Nepal has also been conducting a 'one rupee scheme', which expects a donation of just one rupee per person per day so that the funds collected can support the organisation's objectives.

Other activities of RODEC Nepal include:

• School education for big children and day-care for the younger ones
• Healthy and balanced diet to the children
• Tuition classes to the children
• Conducting extra activities for the children like games and picnics
• Regular health check-ups and basic health care including routine vaccines
• Awareness programmes for mothers on children's health and rights, women's rights and education
• Vocational training to the parents who are unable to earn enough for the family's survival.