Many children in Nepal are born deaf or develop deafness through diseases such as measles. Their lives thereafter become a struggle not just with their physical restrictions but also against the disdain and discrimination that they experience within a society where deaf people are known by many as "lato" (Nepalese word for "stupid"). The education of deaf children is too frequently seen as a waste of time and money by impoverished parents who perceive that they will not derive little long term rewards from such an investment.

EBT has taken up the cause of these children by making just that investment. Since 2000 we have been providing substantial funding support to the school for deaf children in Bhairahawa that serves a huge catchment area reaching out into the far west of Nepal. In that time the school's attendance has risen by a third to its present 135 pupils, 45 of whom are boarders. Our contribution has been made through both capital and revenue projects. The former have involved installing running water to its boarders' hostel, constructing a volleyball court, and building a new classroom. Most recently, in 2005 we part funded the purchase of a school bus. Revenue expenditure has been for a school scholarship scheme that has paid for the education of 30 children from the poorest families as an incentive for children to join and be retained at the school. We have gone one step further by recruiting and paying the salary of one young deaf woman who became the school's first deaf teacher and proof to all of the children and their parents that a good education can lead to real employment opportunities. In 2006 we are carrying on our revenue support to the school and, as a new initiative, turning our attention to offering some financial support to the large school for deaf children in Kathmandu.

The Butwal Day Care Centre (BDDC) was established in the early 1990's on a self-help basis by a group of parents of disabled children and is quite unique within Nepal. The parents include the inspirational former British Army Gurkha Captain Bishnu Shrestha whose daughter has cerebral palsy. Each day around twenty children attend the centre to participate in stimulating play and exercise activities. The centre even manages to raise some of its own funds by selling handicrafts and other items that have been made by the children. The BDDC staff members pay home visits in support of the families of a further 40 children who are physically unable to travel to the Centre. The EBT pays for this home visit programme as an annual donation and has given the consultancy support of highly qualified volunteers from the UK in 2004. In 2005 EBT part funded the extension of the premises at a cost of £6,000. Longer term we want to provide the centre with a specially designed minibus (estimated cost £12,000) that will allow the children from further afield to travel in to join the Centre's daily fun and games.

We still need to raise £14,900 towards our 2006 Disabled Children Project budget of £15,500. This helps us meet the revenue costs of the scholarship scheme for the deaf children, the Butwal Day Care Centre home visit programme and the capital costs of a minibus purchase. To donate specifically towards the Disabled Children Project please use the button below.