Nepal
Early Childhood Development
2015-2023 (Phase 1) / 2023-2026 (Phase 2)
Early childhood development: a priority
Parental neglect remains commonplace in Nepal, often due to a lack of knowledge and resources. Kindergarten enrolment has increased in recent years, but teaching staff have little or no training in dealing with children under 6.
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The context
In Nepal, school is compulsory from the age of 6. According to the Ministry of Education, there are 35,000 pre-schools in the country. Housed in elementary school, they are free and welcome children from 4 to 5 years old.
But the high level of enrolment in these schools (94% in 2022 according to the World Bank) in fact masks a very irregular attendance and low quality of early childhood development in public schools.
Attendance is particularly low in the countryside where it can take an hour to walk to school, teachers are poorly trained and underpaid, they lack equipment and teaching materials, classes are overcrowded and hygiene is lacking.
The most vulnerable families - ethnic and caste groups - do not understand the value of early childhood development and preschool. Stimulation through play, speech, and song is low until the child speaks, and only one out of two households has toys in the home.
Finally, neglect and even abuse of small children remains a major problem in Nepal where corporal punishment affected 75% of children in 2018 according to UNICEF.
Inequalities between men and women are rooted in mentalities.
The education of children from the earliest age, especially girls, is a priority.
How is your donation used?
For every €100 raised by Planète Enfants & Développement, €86 goes towards our social mission.
Our projects are evaluated by independent firms. And our accounts are audited and certified each year by KPMG.
%
of children are subjected to corporal punishment
Age of compulsory school
toy in preschool
The project
Phase 1 (2020–2023): Structuring and Initial Impacts in Kathmandu and Dhading
Supported by AFD as part of the Early Childhood Program Agreement, this first phase was implemented in the districts of Kathmandu and Dhading, targeting 63 preschools, in partnership with Prayas Nepal and Child Nepal.
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School Equipment and Training teachers : Funding for equipment for 20 schools in Gajuri and Kathmandu (balls, bicycles, shelves, pillows and blankets, toys) and cascade training for teaching staff, followed by in-class coaching sessions (up to 6 visits per school) to create teaching materials from recycled materials.
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Parenting Support: Support for parents on positive parenting, early childhood development, and nutrition, supplemented by home visits to address social barriers (lack of a birth certificate, unemployment, separation). In Dhading, 45 community mobilizers were trained to ensure the program’s long-term sustainability, and an impact study on parenting support was launched in collaboration with Paris-Dauphine University.
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Municipal Advocacy for Early Childhood: Close coordination with local authorities, to support them in incorporating early childhood education projects into their annual plans, and in particular to increase teachers’ salaries, school meal subsidies, funding for equipment maintenance, and social support for the most disadvantaged. PE&D’s active advocacy has, among other things, led to the allocation of budgets entirely dedicated to early childhood, the development of an integrated early childhood development plan, and The opening of a preschool in Gajuri.
Phase 2 (since November 2023): Rural deployment in Gorkha and scaling up
In partnership with UN Nepal, Phase 2 is rolling out the project in the Gorkha District (Sahid Lakhan Municipality) to transform the preschool environment of 48 public schools.
- School Equipment and Training for teachers: In 2024, we renovated 10 classrooms and created 6 accessible learning spaces in most of the 48 schools. In addition, 54 female teachers were trained using interactive and inclusive methods, supplemented by 562 in-class coaching sessions led by community organizers. In addition, 37 educational kits were distributed to all public schools. In 2025, Planète Enfants & Développement continued providing individual coaching to 48 teachers on setting up «learning corners» and organized exchange meetings by school network (10 to 12 teachers) to standardize practices.
- Parenting Support : Planète Enfants & Développement supported the facilitation of workshops on learning through play, positive parenting, the role of fathers, and preventing excessive screen time. In 2024, 519 isolated families received support in Dhading, particularly in obtaining birth certificates. In 2025, more than 1 500 parents were educated about positive parenting. In addition, two medical screening campaigns were organized in 47 schools (for anemia, tooth decay, and hearing).
- Advocacy: More than 1,000 members of management committees (SMC/PTA) have been trained to draft school-specific action plans. The municipality has adopted an early childhood development plan (minimum standards, water and sanitation budget).
Between 2024 and 2025, More than 1,500 children have had access to a stimulating environment in their classrooms in Gorkha, thanks to our support.
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“I realized that we shouldn’t force young children to write, but rather let them do things at their own pace. After the training, I let them play. I noticed that after a few days, the children were picking up the pencils on their own! I also realized that all children are different and need to be treated differently.»
Ganga, kindergarten teacher
Our partners in the field
UN Nepal: NGO created in 2009 to promote the holistic development of young people. We have been working with Gorkha on pre-school and parenting support since 2023.
Prayas Nepal : Nepalese NGO founded in 2002, which works particularly on the emancipation of highly marginalized women. We've been working together since 2015.
Child Nepal: NGO created in 2003 to support children's rights. We cooperated on preschool and parenting support in Kathmandu between 2017 and 2023.