MFA: Finland strengthens the activities of Nepalese schools through UNICEF

UNICEF's education project in Nepal aims to improve the quality of early childhood education and basic education. Today, most Nepalese children go to school, but basic skills may not be learned.

The purpose is to bring people in need of special support, such as the disabled and the poorest and most discriminated children, to school education. The aim is for children to have access to education in their mother tongue and then get better starting points for learning.

Another UNICEF project improves the availability, sanitation and hygiene awareness of clean drinking water in communities and schools. Clean drinking water reduces diseases, and toilets have an important role in girls' schooling.

UNICEF is one of Finland's longest-term partners in Nepal, particularly in development cooperation in the water sector.

“Finland wants to promote the education of women and girls and to ensure access to clean drinking water and sanitation for all. Through cooperation with UNICEF, Finland makes use of synergies resulting from the work of various actors and sectors to achieve sustainable development,” says Pertti Anttinen, Ambassador of Finland to Nepal.

Finland and the EU also have a major development cooperation project in Nepal’s remote west to improve the availability of clean drinking water for households and to build toilets and water points in schools together with local residents and municipalities. In addition, Finland supports the Nepalese education sector to develop the school system.

Through development cooperation, Finland supports Nepal in its efforts to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Inquiries: Sara Alanen, Programme Officer, Unit for South Asia, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 295 350 011, and Kati Bhose (education) and Jari Laukka (water), senior specialists on development policy, Embassy of Finland in Kathmandu, tel. +977 1 44 172 21.

The email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@formin.fi.