A Summer full of Achievements for CREASION
CREASION's July to September's Newsletter
With its hot summer breeze passing by us, summer had officially started at CREASION. We all enjoy summers. Spending more time with our families, soaking up the sun, and barbecuing: It is indisputably a beloved season. For CREASION, this summer was full of achievements and packed with exciting events.
Following along we tell our exciting summer events that occurred during the past few months.
Establishment of Digital Libraries in Three government schools in Chitwan
Learning and human development for children and young adults are always ever-growing. Most of the materials which are accessed are either from physical libraries or educational materials provided by schools. The idea and concept of having an online library system are slowly being introduced to developing countries such as Nepal.
This summer, with the support of The Coca-Cola Foundation Nepal, Recycler Saathi, program of CREASION installed an education-focused digital library containing full-text documents, books, images, videos, audio files, and interactive educational software that can be accessed through an intranet or on the Internet were inaugurated, celebrated and installed in the presence our Goodwill Ambassadors, Mrs. Keki Adhikari and Mr. Parakram Rana. The libraries were established in three government schools of Chitwan namely Shree Madhyamik Vidhyalaya Chitarsari, Ratnanagar Municipality Ward 8, and Shree Bachyauli Madhyamik Vidhyalaya, Ratnanagar Municipality Ward 6, and Shree Chameli Devi Piya Maadhyamik Vidhyalaya, Bharatpur. . The idea and concept were to ensure proper awareness and educate children and unlock their imaginations.
These libraries were called E- Pustakalaya where the students can browse through various sections and type keywords to have access to the materials they need. In addition, they can also link similar words based on author, or publisher through a single click. The library is not only limited to books but they can view videos, listen to audio clips, play educational games directly from E-Pustakalaya, and in the case of books and documents, download and store them for later viewing. The awesome feature of this is that E-Pustakalaya can also be accessed from an Android device through the E-Pustakalaya app and by using this app, users can access E-Pustakalaya hosted online or on offline servers with access to 16,000 books, 2994 audiobooks, and 2122 video collection.
Social Media for Advocacy
We all use our phones frequently, and the majority of people have access to social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram. With Buring and hot topics trending on such apps, it makes everyone’s opinion and voices heard for a change. These topics are especially famous and advocated through various social media influencers and celebrities. To learn more about these topics we held a session with the youth wing of CREASION, Volunteer for Change with our Goodwill Ambassadors Mrs. Keki Adhikari and Mr. Parakram Rana.
The interactive session discussed topics such as how social media can be a voice for the voiceless in this digital world and was facilitated by Mr. Aanand Mishra, Founder and President of CREASION where he spoke on topics such as human-wildlife conflict, solid waste management, cyberbullying, mental health awareness, etc. alongside our Goodwill Ambassadors Mrs. Keki Adhikari and Mr. Parakram Rana. Furthermore, the volunteers also discussed several advocacy tools and awareness strategies were also discussed on the mentioned issues.
Accidental Insurance to Waste Workers
Waste workers are often seen as the ground-level environmental heroes in Nepal, they do most of the ground-level cleaning and sorting that normal people daily feel repulsed to do. While our waste gets taken away to the waste management center, the waste is sorted by our waste workers but these waste workers are not aware of the safety needed while working in this sector. They fall under a risky occupation; the working areas are not well equipped to protect them from unforeseen circumstances.
To tackle this problem, we provided insurance to 100 waste workers in Bagmati and Madhesh Province. Each escape center was given an hour-long session on the importance of having insurance and how to process it in case anyone got injured. The primary goal of offering the insurance was to safeguard the occupational safety of waste workers and to give them safety nets in the event of any workplace dangers or accidents. The insurance will further assist in giving them financial protection against any occupational safety risks and unforeseen industrial accidents.
International Youth Day 2022
Every year on August 12, 2022, we celebrate “International Youth Day”, the theme for 2022 International Youth Day revolved around a term alien to most, “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages”.
Leading up to the occasion of International Youth Day 2022 on August 11, 2022, the volunteers of CREASION headed out to Basantapur Durbar Square for a fundraising event. The event’s essence was to collect funds to celebrate Raksha Bandhan and Janai Purnima with the elderly people. The volunteers of Kathmandu Cohort made special handmade rakhis and bookmarks which were displayed and sold and which were appreciated, supported, and encouraged by many people.
On August 12, 2022, CREASION successfully conducted programs in Kathmandu and Chitwan. The volunteers of Kathmandu Cohort visited an old age home named Manavsewa Ashram to celebrate and interact with the elderly. The volunteers eagerly interacted with the elderly people and celebrated Janai Purnima by preparing a traditional Nepali dish, Qwati for the elders and having a Mehendi session with them.
The volunteers of Chitwan celebrated International Youth Day by setting their priorities and focusing on creating tangible improvement in their lives by creating vision boards that reflect their goals for self-improvement and environmental conservation. The session was led by Ms. Rammaya Shrestha, Community Outreach Officer, and the event was graced with the presence of Mr. Bikram K.C, representative of Bottlers Nepal Terai Limited who shared his inspiring words on how youths can become agents of change and help in reducing carbon emissions through Recycler Saathi.
Waste Smart School Reformation and Expansion
Waste Smart schools are a one-of-a-kind model that is formed to provide knowledge and awareness to children on waste management. It is also the heart program of our project Recycler Saathi. We had a total of 10 existing waste smart schools, we have further expanded five waste smart schools in Chitwan, and 2 in Kathmandu and Madhesh province making it a total of 19 waste smart schools. The waste smart schools ensure students receive exposure and well-rounded knowledge about the waste management scenario on individual and community-level practices for environmental protection.
Out of each school, seven of the students are selected and given elective titles such as president, vice president, and member to preserve and promote environmental awareness in their schools and classrooms. They are also known as Waste Smart Clubs. The members of the clubs received badges and Waste Smart School Club Kit. Under the leadership and guidance of Recycler Saathi and the School Committee, the club will now conduct various waste-related activities, awareness, and engaging content to make the students more aware of waste, waste-related issues, and waste management. An MoU was also signed between the school and CREASION to help introduce the necessary interventions to make the school waste smart.
Webinar on Dengue Awareness
Dengue fever is considered a year-round threat in Nepal, with the highest risk occurring from June through September. Dengue in Nepal has been reported in all climatic and weather situations.
Through Volunteer for Change (VFC), the youth wing of CREASION, we organized a webinar regarding general information about dengue and the required diet need if infected with it. The webinar was held on September 15, 2022, virtually via Zoom. The session was attended by all the Volunteer for Change volunteers and the guest speakers for the webinar were Dr. Sandesh Ghimire, MBBS (NAIHS-COM), Medical Officer, and Anushree Acharya, Dietician/Managing Director of The Nutrition Cure Nepal.
Dr. Sandesh Ghimire presented on the history and introduction to dengue and the type, and stages, when a person is bitten by a mosquito, and Ms. Anushree, presented on the diet required when infected with dengue. The session was very informative and interactive, where the volunteers got a clearer picture and more knowledge concerning dengue.
Workshop on Situational Analysis of Solid Waste Management in Bharatpur Metropolitan City
Solid waste management is the collecting, treating, and disposing of solid material that is discarded because it has served its purpose or is no longer useful. Improper disposal of municipal solid waste can create unsanitary conditions, and these conditions in turn can lead to pollution of the environment and outbreaks of vector-borne disease—that is, diseases spread by rodents and insects.
To understand the situation further Recycler Saathi 3.0 facilitated a workshop for the youth of Volunteer for Change (VFC), Bharatpur Cohort. The volunteers reviewed various articles, scientific journals, and news sources to do a situational analysis of solid waste management in Bharatpur Metropolitan City. They came up with attractive diagrammatic and infographic representations of the present situation and projected the future scenario of solid waste management. The session was followed by an interactive presentation and a question-answer round.
The workshop was attended by Mrs. Nisha Adhikari Malla where the volunteers discussed a range of subjects like youth engagement, minimalist lifestyle, and fashion footprint. Our Environment and Sustainability Manager, Ms. Sujata Koirala also sparked further discussions on the current solid waste management policies, current issues, and possible individual interventions that we can take for the future to a world without waste.
Entrepreneurs Adda Session
CREASION held a weekly session known as "Entrepreneur Adda" for the selected 20 Climate Smart ENterprenership ideas under the project Nepali Yuwa in Climate Action and Green Growth, where participants get to learn a wide spectrum of entrepreneurial lessons from experts. The session was organized for the twenty selected participants from the Climate Smart Entrepreneurship Program to give them a brief idea of how to start a business, their requirements, and marketing strategies for the products. Every week, the participants were introduced to new mentors for the session where they showcased their experiences and gave suggestions on building their businesses leading up to the Award Ceremony where six climate-smart enterprises were to be awarded a grant of Rs. 1,25,000.
Six Climate Smart Enterprises awarded with innovation grant by Nepali Yuwa in Climate Action and Green Growth Project
Nepali Yuwa in Climate Action and Green Growth (NYCAGG) project is funded by the European Union to promote the involvement of young Nepali people in green growth, environmental protection, and combatting climate change. It is a four-year-long project that will be implemented in Madhesh Province, Karnali Province, and Sudurpaschim Province through the consortium of Youth Innovation Lab (YI-LAB), Restless Development Nepal, CREASION, and CDMS.
Climate Smart Entrepreneurship is one of the key components of the NYCAGG project and is led by CREASION. It is a platform for innovators, ideators, and entrepreneurs who are transforming and reorienting entrepreneurial development under the realities of climate change. It is a collaborative space where the youths who are determined to address the pressing environmental and climatic concerns co-create solutions that are innovative and sustainable. We had a total of 117 ideas that were submitted and 20 ideas were selected from Madhesh Province and were groomed and mentored through expert sessions and peer mentors.
The mentees further competed in an award ceremony where they first pitched their ideas in the first half of the program. The 20 selected mentees pitched their ideas in front of the participants which included representatives from provincial governments, the EU, colleges, students, and the media. The pitching session was evaluated by Ramakanta Sarma, NYC, and Mala Ray, Journalist, and Social Activist. In the second half of the award ceremony, Goma Karki, Project Lead, briefed the participants about the NYCAGG project, Phurpa Sherpa, Innovation Coordinator briefed about Climate Smart Entrepreneurship followed by special remarks from the distinguished guests and the result announcement of six winners of Innovation Grant 2022 that is worth NPR 1,25,000 aiming to be invested in the business.
The six selected ideas for Innovation Grant 2022 were:
Vermicompost Nepal, Mahottari led by the team Nisha Tiwari, Swastika Chaudhary, and Kamal Dev Yadav
Reusable Pad, Siraha by Sushma Shah
Phoolbati, Saptari led by Rishav Das
Mithila Art, Siraha led by the team Akanksha Jha and Santosh Yadav
Pandit Maati Madka Shop, Mahottari by Rabindra Pandit
Pure Water-clay Filter, Saptari by Bardan Shrestha
The award ceremony was attended by our distinguished guests Hon’ble Minister of Industry, Tourism, and Forest of Madhesh Province, Shatrudhan Mahato, Ms. Eloisa Astudillo, Deputy Head of Cooperation, European Union Delegation to Nepal, and Mr. Aanand Mishra, Founder and President of CREASION.
Thanks for taking the time to go through our summer quarter updates. To learn about our initiatives in the coming months, follow us on our social media handles.