Finland will allocate 8 euros million from development cooperation funds to the work of the United Nations Children's Fund in Nepal, informed the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in a press release.
The funding of UNICEF's country programme will improve the quality of teaching for the next three years, as well as the water and sanitation services of communities and schools.
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.
Sanitation and hygiene
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.
Access to clean drinking water
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.
