Nepal School Partnership - With a Little Help From Our Friends.

ICS has a partnership with the Shree Mangal Dvip School in Nepal (SMD). The seed was planted in Zurich 2005 by Canadian humanitarian Peter Dalglish; at a conference of the Swiss Group of International Schools, he challenged them to take up their ethical and social responsibilities and think about children who cannot access education. ICS responded to Peterʼs challenge and developed a partnership with the SMD School in Nepal. SMD offers an education from Nursery Class to Grade 10 to Himalayan mountain children who otherwise wouldn't receive one.

As SMD only goes up to Grade 10, SMD students have to look elsewhere if they wish to continue their education further. Since 2008, ICS has offered scholarships allowing two SMD students a year to join ICS at Grade 11 and study for their IB Diploma. Our first two Nepali students, Pasang and Phur Tenzin, took their IB Diploma exams in May 2010 and are currently in their second year of studying engineering at university in Canada. Our second two students Sherab and Karma took their IB Diploma exams in May 2011 and are also both now at university in Canada.

"At Shree Mangal Dvip School, weʼve seen many benefits from our partnership with ICS. The greatest among them, from my point of view, is the friendship and support that comes from the ICS family. Knowing that so many people ʻout thereʼ care enough to help Himalayan children brightens my days immeasurably." Shirley Blair, Director, Shree Mangal Dvip School, Nepal.

New ways of teaching

The ICS Community now supports 40 children at SMD. "Most of them are still quite young, but they are getting enough food to eat, lots of love and the best education we can provide." says Shirley Blair. "Over the years, the ICS family has provided enough chocolate, multivitamins and school supplies to run a small shop for a year!"

Several ICS teachers have been to SMD since 2005 to lead training workshops. "ICS has opened our teachersʼ eyes to new ways of teaching," says SMD Director Shirley Blair. "As one of our senior Science teachers observes, 'Before, I used to think that teaching means standing in front of students and giving a lecture. But now my philosophy as a teacher has been changed. Teaching means helping needy kids/ people as per their skill, talent, interest and level of perception. Teaching means selection of suitable methods, selection of suitable teaching aids, understanding of child psychology, and helping learners according to needs and interests.' SMD teachers are so much happier these days and (glory be!) the children tell us that learning is fun."

Scholarship programme

ICS students have visited SMD and so far, six SMD students have come to ICS on a full two-year scholarship. "Our scholarship students have forged friendships which will last a lifetime. And the scholarship programme!," says Shirley Blair. "It has been 'the icing on the cake'. ICS scholarship winners are keenly aware of the opportunities theyʼve been given and the responsiblities inherent in them. Phur Tenzin, who came to ICS to study in 2008, observed, 'Every time I travel through Doha, I see Nepalese labourers which makes me realize how lucky I am. Being a poor little village boy, how could I have imagined that I would be in Switzerland one day?' Phur Tenzin graduated from ICS in the summer of 2010 and with fellow SMD scholarship student Pasang has gone on to university in Canada to study engineering. 

ICS Head of School Michael Matthews says: "This partnership has been transformational in its effects on our own community, allowing teachers and students to work and study with peers who see the world and its problems from a very different perspective, and enabling us to enrich others' lives."

Further information:

Nepali scholarship students are able to come to ICS because of the generous commitment made by ICS families to host them, offering them help, support, encouragement and a special place in their hearts. There is information here about what is involved in hosting a scholarship student from Nepal.

And there is further background information about the ICS/SMD Partnership below:

ICS-SMD School Partnership Brochure

The ICS-SMD School Partnership in Motion (document with the whole story)