WHO WE ARE
At Hoste Hainse, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-governmental organization, our mission is to achieve sustainable community development through education for underprivileged children living in remote areas of Nepal. Our efforts are concentrated in Sarlahi, near the southern border of Nepal, where children work in fields or serve their husbands, deprived of education and a carefree childhood. We decided to give these children the opportunity to envision a brighter future for themselves and began operating non-profit, free-of-cost community schools in 1998. Every year, over 2,000 students are empowered by Hoste Hainse to pursue their passion and touch the lives of others instead of falling victim to intergenerational poverty, child labor, or child marriage. Slowly, we’re reducing these inequalities in Sarlahi as the number of girls in our schools surpasses the boys. We firmly believe that education is imperative to building a child’s future. We hope that you, too, will be inspired to support the education of underprivileged Nepali children.
WHAT WE DO
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Hoste Hainse currently runs four non-profit, free-of-cost community schools for underprivileged children. These schools, grades ECD (Early Childhood Development) through 10, are located in four villages in the district of Sarlahi: Dhangada, Padariya, Shreepur, and Sahodwa. Sarlahi is considered a developing region, marked by high poverty levels, rampant gender discrimination, limited access to basic facilities, and extremely low education penetration. Sarlahi is one of the least educated districts in Nepal with a literacy rate below 50%. In Nepal, the Secondary Education Exam (SEE) is the final high school exam in the school system that determines whether a student can pursue secondary education. Since the inception of our program in 1998, we are proud to share that our SLC/SEE pass rate has always been over 90% (and 100% for the last five consecutive years). To compare, the national averages are about 40%, and the government school averages even lower than that. Because our free-of-cost schools are so high performing, even children not enrolled in our schools flock to our classrooms, and we do not have the heart to turn them away.
A paragon in providing educational support to underprivileged children across Nepal, Hoste Hainse has more success stories than it has been able to tell. For example, Hoste Hainse also provides educational support to schools in Jhapa, Nawalparasi and Bajura in conjunction with partner organizations, Chance for Life Nepal, Nepalhilfe Bietigheim-Hersfeld, and Zukunft Entwickeln, to name a few. Post-earthquake (2015), we started educational support programs in Sindhupalchowk and have re-built schools in the region.
Our education programs are complemented by income generation programs, such as fish farming and milk delivery, which generate income for adults in the village and raise funds to make our schools self-sustaining. Our flagship fundraiser, Project 3K, provides education for a child for an entire year for 3,000 NPR ($30 USD). Finally, our eco-friendly endeavors, such as Clothes for Education and Recycle for Education, all help raise funds to operate our schools at no cost to our students.
HOW WE GOT HERE
Hoste Hainse is currently an education nonprofit that teaches over 2,000 students each year, but its origins actually lie in Nepal’s hand-knotted rug industry. In 1990, Nepal suffered an economic crisis as many consumers discovered the harsh, unforgiving conditions that workers endured to create the beautiful rugs and carpets that were Nepal's main export. Many of these workers were young children. To salvage the industry and help those in need of employment, Sulochana Shrestha-Shah formed two sister companies: Formation Carpets and Hoste Hainse. The first, Formation Carpets, was a carpet-making business that refused to employ children, and uplifted and protected its all-female staff. Its factories were bright, airy, clean, and spacious, a far cry from the dark, cramped sweatshops of many other companies. All the profits from Formation Carpets were funneled into Hoste Hainse, which was created for the benefit of the weavers and their children. Efforts of Hoste Hainse included hygiene programs with complementary health insurance, provident fund facilities, and paid maternity leave for Formation Carpet’s 100% female workforce. Rather than the workers’ children spending their days playing in the streets unattended and unprotected, which was a problem that plagued Nepal at the time, Hoste Hainse provided a daycare and preschool facility for the children to be cared for. As the children grew older, proceeds from Formation Carpets began to fund full or partial scholarships for them to attend school.
Eventually, recognizing the desperate need for education in rural parts of Nepal, Hoste Hainse began providing scholarships to children in the district of Sarlahi, the present-day location of Hoste Hainse's four schools. In the beginning, Hoste Hainse only offered scholarships for 20 students to receive an education, in a barn rather than a classroom because resources were so limited. However, when Sulochana visited Sarlahi to check on the students, she found 200 students awaiting her instead of 20. She realized how strong the demand for education was, and how important it was to the villagers that their children have access to the unlimited opportunities an education can provide. In the year 2000, Sulochana began orienting Hoste Hainse towards the construction of schools in Sarlahi, and today, Hoste Hainse supports over 2,000 children in the villages of Dhangada, Padariya, Shreepur, and Sahodwa.