US Ambassador to Nepal Peter W. Bodde launched Teach For Nepal’s program One Day in a Classroom by going to Teach For Nepal Fellow’s classroom at Jyotidaya Cooperative School and teaching students how to move on in life with perseverance and hard work.

“One Day in a Classroom” is launched by Teach For Nepal where leaders from various sector will go to the Teach For Nepal Fellow’s classroom in public schools and teach sharing about their career path and providing exposure to the students about different life-options that is available to them.

In the inaugural class, US Ambassador Bodde shared a motivating story about a Malawian youth William Kamkwamba, he met, who built wind mill in his own village with limited resources, and encouraged students to believe in themselves He asked them to pursue their dream. He also asked students to keep on trying – regardless of roadblocks and failure - and respect/support each other.

He also interacted with the students and answered various queries about the students that were mostly about his experience in life, Nepal-America relationship, culture, and tradition.

While answering a query of a student, Ambassador Bodde also shared his own story about how as a student he did odd jobs and finally achieved his dream of being an Ambassador of his country.

“Believe in yourself, Keep on trying and Respect others”, Ambassador Bodde repeated time and again to the students.

CEO of Teach For Nepal, Shisir Khanal said that based on the experience of Teach For Nepal Fellow, because of the lack of exposure and access have limited vision for their own life. Many students say that their life opportunities are limited only to vision low-income professionals or leave the country as migrant labor. Therefore the program is designed to bring role models in the classrooms.

Principal of the Jyotidaya Cooperative School, Rameshwor Deshar said that Ambassador’s visit became memorable to the students and motivated them to dare and to dream more in life. 

“Ambassador’s visit in the classroom will definitely encourage and influence them in life and create a meaningful impact in their minds for long,” Deshar said. 

2013 Teach For Nepal fellow, Bhawana Shrestha said that it took her more than a year to raise the self-esteem of the students and make them believe that they speak and write perfectly in English.

“I am so proud of my students that they could interact with US Ambassador with such a command of English and this is my achievement too,” Shrestha who has been in school for 18 months said.

She added that Ambassador’s time and again praise for the work of Teach For Nepal fellow has motivated me more in the area of teaching.

“Attending Ambassador’s classroom has increased my confidence to talk with anyone,” said Abhishek Desar, student at Grade 8.

He added that David’s story was really motivating and that he learned how working hard is necessary in life.

“I learned to believe in ourselves and not to listen to those who always discourage us,” said Kanchan Khadka also the student at Grade 8.  Khadka also said that she also got an encouragement to talk with other people and foreigners.

According to the press release issued by Sweta Baniya, Communications Officer Teach For Nepal, in a month long program, Teach For Nepal has planned to take leaders from different sectors into the classroom of Teach For Nepal Fellows across Lalitpur and Sindupalchowk districts.

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.