Teach For Nepal organized a charity walkathon with the participation of 700 youths to express solidarity with public school students who walk for hours to go to school and yet are deprived of quality education that they deserve.

Teach for Nepal (TFN)organized a charity Walkathon on Saturday, 20 December with the aim of creating dialogue on the need of quality education in public schools and to generate resources required to support the work of the movement.

According to a press release issued by Sweta Baniya Communications Officer of Teach for  Nepal, more than 700 college students and young professionals, who had committed to raise 1,000 rupees each,walked five kilometers today.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the Walkathon, Teach for Nepal Board Member former Vice Chancellor of Tribhuvan University, Professor Kedar Bhakta Mathema said that only 2 percent students from the poor family get through the SLC examinations.

Walking along with the youths, he expressed solidarity for Walkathon saying he feels for all those students who walk for hours to reach their school and are still deprived from getting through the education.

The walk that started from CTC Mall Sundhara passed through Jamal, Kantipath, Durbar Marg, Ghantaghar,Bagbazaar,Putalisadak, Bhrikutimandap, Sahid Gate and will end back in the CTC Mall.

The Walkathon then culminated into a closing ceremony that featured musical performance from folk instrumental band Kutumba. A select group of participating college students also performed during the closing ceremony.

CEO of Teach for Nepal Shishir Khanal said that the Walkathonbecame a huge success to bring together college students in Kathmandu valley for raising massive awareness and bringing together people from different walks of life by raising money to support the Teach For Nepal fellows who will be teaching in the remotest part of Nepal.

He added that the charity walk was designed for the general public to experience the pain of over 50 lakhs students, attending public schools, who walk hours to get to a school but are still deprived of quality education.

Manoj Pandey who is coordinating the Walkathon shared that the event was a huge success as more than 700 students from 30 different colleges in Kathmandu along with people from various walk of life participated in the Walkathon.

“The silent 5 km Walkathon was successful for making the participants feel how a ten year old goes to school daily by walking two to three hours. He shared that the turn out in the event made it felt like all of participant contemplated and joined hands to end education inequity in Nepal, said Pandey, a graduate of with Bachelors of Engineeringand 2015 Teach For Nepal fellow preparing to go and teach in rural public schools for two years.

He also added that the raised fund will be used to support stipend of few Teach For Nepal Fellows. Each fellow teaches about 150 children in classrooms across Lalitpur, Sidupalchowk and from next year Dhanusha as well.

Samikshya Subedi, a Doctor by profession who came to walk for Walkathon said that what compelled her was the hours of walk the students do on a daily basis and couldn’t help herself for coming for Walkathon.

TFN Walkathon is thus a solidarity walk to commit ourselves that no children regardless of socio-economic status will be left behind. Through Walkathon, TFN symbolically, expresses commitment that we are committed to walk together with the children to ensure that each and every single one of them have same opportunity and choices that children who go to private schools in Nepal have.

With an objective of ending the education inequity in Nepal, under Teach For Nepal’s teaching fellowship 49 Fellows are currently teaching in 25 schools across Lalitpur and Sindupalchowk districts reaching to about 3,600 students. TFN is currently recruiting for its third cohort with the goal placing additional 60 fellows and expanding to Dhansuha district.

Teach for Nepal (TFN) is a movement of outstanding university graduates and young professionals who are committed to end education inequity in Nepal starting with two years of fellowship teaching in public schools. The fellowship is highly competitive, challenging, and rewarding leadership development program, which prepares the participants to become lifelong leaders. Teach For Nepal Fellows come from diverse academic background. They have completed minimum of Bachelor’s degree in Business Studies, Education, Engineering, Humanities & Social Sciences, Public Health, Social Work, and Science & Technology from colleges and universities in Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.