On a cold Wednesday morning in December, the outdoor playground at Navjyoti Centre, a daycare school for children and young people with disabilities, was buzzing with activity. Students took turns shooting basketballs at hoops, and a group of younger children played on a blue plastic slide.
At 10 am, the school bell rings loudly and teachers walk their students to a hall on the top floor of a two-storey building in the heart of Kathmandu.
As teachers and students gather for morning assembly, 20-year-old Kavita Tamang takes to the microphone to lead the assembly, greeting everyone, reciting a prayer and singing Nepal’s national anthem to kick off the 30-minute session. Teachers and students in the hall mimic Kavita’s movements to the rhythm and join in warm-up activities and Zumba dancing to the music.
Just a few years ago, it would have been almost unthinkable for Kavita to stand up and communicate with others, says Sister Lisa Perekat of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. Kavita, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, has a neurodevelopmental disorder that gives her a low IQ and makes it difficult for her to function and communicate in everyday situations. She was sexually assaulted by her homeowner at age 14 and joined Navjyoti in 2019 after being rescued by Kumudini Nepal, a non-governmental organization that supports abused and exploited girls.
“When she was brought to the centre, Kavita had difficulty following instructions and at times displayed disruptive behaviour which was difficult to manage. She could not make eye contact and barely communicated,” said Durga Pokharel, a 43-year-old laywoman who joined the school as a teacher nearly 25 years ago. Kavita had difficulty maintaining concentration and would be unresponsive or run away when teachers tried to communicate with her, Pokharel recalled.
“She developed behavioural problems and was at high risk of self-harming and harming other students in her class, including teachers,” Pokharel said. “She was unable to maintain basic hygiene and cleanliness.” But now, almost five years later, Kavita is one of the “star” students who has taken on the responsibility of leading morning assemblies. She is also able to handle household chores such as cooking, washing and personal care when at home.
“We are grateful for the love and care shown by the Catholic nuns towards our daughter. She needs special care and though we are parents, looking after her can sometimes be an unmanageable burden. But the teachers at Navjyoti have taken care of my daughter and other children as if they were their own,” said Kavita’s mother Nirmala Tamang.
Tamang, 35, who works as a kitchen staff in Kathmandu, said: “If I hadn’t met the sisters and their special day care school, my daughter’s life would have been miserable.”
According to Nirmala, Kavita’s disability was diagnosed at age 14 during a medical examination after the assault, but her family noticed that she was less literate and less supportive than her younger siblings and had an aggressive and unfriendly attitude. Kavita was unable to continue her studies in mainstream schools and, like the majority of children with disabilities, was forced to drop out after the fourth grade.
According to a 2011 Human Rights Watch report, at least 207,000 children in Nepal have disabilities. A 2016 United Nations Children’s Fund report stated that 30.6 percent of children with special needs aged 5 to 12 in Nepal are not attending school due to poor educational access and discrimination. Children with disabilities face numerous educational challenges, including a lack of accessible schools with toilets, specialized learning materials and teachers, as well as negative attitudes from teachers and peers, the report said.
Although Nepal has formulated several new policies and made commitments at national and international forums to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities, children with disabilities still face discrimination and social prejudice. Only 1% of the country’s 34,000 schools are ready to serve children with disabilities. According to data provided by the Educational Human Resources Development Center of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, there are 380 resource classes, 33 special schools and 23 inclusive schools operating in the country to provide education to 66,551 children with disabilities. There are no government-run day care schools or centers.
The Navjyoti Center was founded by Maryknoll priest Adam Gudlevski, from the United States. During his time in Nepal, he was touched by the plight of mentally disabled children who were often ignored by society and the state. He opened the center in 1978 to serve five children and provide them with individual and social education. The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth took over the center in 1988 and began operating it as a day school under the name Navjyoti Center. The day school is registered with the Association for the Welfare of the Mentally Retarded (AWMR) and is managed by the Nepal Nazarene Society, a non-governmental organization run by the Sisters.
Currently, Navjyoti serves as a home away from home for 65 children and young people aged between 6 and 27 years old who have mild, moderate and severe neurodevelopmental and physical disabilities, including Down’s Syndrome, cerebral palsy, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder and learning disabilities. A total of 431 students have received support and services from the centre since it began operations almost four decades ago.
“The school was established with the aim of providing an atmosphere of love, care and acceptance to children with special needs and helping them live a life of dignity and respect,” said Perekat, who is also the school’s administrator.
Perekat said the children come from all economic backgrounds, but most are from poor families. Navjyoti students do not follow a formal education curriculum, but instead receive life skills and vocational training for their holistic development and self-reliance.
Nine expert teachers guide students in classes in mathematics, self-care and personal hygiene, language and communication skills, songs and stories, drawing and painting, dance, yoga, speech therapy, games, physical exercise, physiotherapy, swimming, play therapy and health education. In addition to providing basic education, the daycare, which operates from 10 am to 3 pm, helps students acquire vocational skills such as beading, mat weaving, cooking, gardening, envelope/candle/paper bag making, sewing and knitting.
The daycare school has no fee structure. Perekat said parents who can pay pay and those who cannot are not asked to pay. The center receives funding from international donations and congregations to cover operating and administrative costs, he added.
“The majority (of children with disabilities) are neglected and live in humiliating conditions. We are committed to raising awareness and supporting children with intellectual disabilities who come to us for support, so that they can achieve personal independence and well-being when they reintegrate into their families and society,” she said.
Perekat specialises in psychiatric nursing and worked in India before joining Navjyoti in 2013. That year, she lost her cousin, a young disabled person, to an unnatural death.
“I can empathize with the challenges parents face raising a child with a disability because I have personally witnessed them,” Perekat said.
Not only have the centre’s pupils done their school proud, they have also exceeded parents’ expectations.
Subhan Maharjan, 35, parent of another “star” student at Navjyoti Centre, has been amazed to see his son’s confidence soar since he enrolled at the centre in 2021. Sachin Maharjan, 19, was diagnosed with epilepsy and ADHD at the age of eight and had been receiving treatment ever since. A housewife and mother of two, Subhan has been looking after her son and doing the household chores while her husband works as a driver to support the family.
She struggled to cope with criticism and social stigma over her son’s disruptive behaviour. “One of the doctors who treated Sachin recommended Navijoti to me and I had my son admitted here,” she said. “He has changed drastically from an aggressive boy to one who is calm and helps me in the kitchen.”
Navjyoti students have excelled in sports and games at both local and international levels, with some students even winning gold medals in the International Special Olympics.
“It gives me great satisfaction when my students are successful,” Perekat said.
When GSR visited the center on February 1, Kavita was taking part in a vocational skills class taught by Pokharel on the first floor of the building. She was making a blue beaded necklace while listening to Nepali songs playing on the computer on her desk. Next to her, Sachin was weaving a mat. Other students nearby were dividing up beads to make jewelry.
As the bell rang at 3pm to signal the end of the school day, Ms Kavita offered a closing prayer, thanking everyone who had helped the children end the day on a positive note. After the prayer, the students waved goodbye to their teacher with smiles on their faces and filed out of the classroom.
“Thank you for everything,” Kavita said, giving Pokharel a hug before leaving the classroom and heading for the yellow school bus.