Nepal 🇳🇵
U-GO Scholars: 234
In Nepal, only 27% of women complete upper secondary school, which is the minimum level of education required to qualify for university. And of that small number, fewer than 1 in 5 are able to move onwards to university study. Cultural barriers, early marriage, teenage pregnancy and rampant poverty continue to affect girls' access to higher education. While these numbers are shocking, the situation is even worse for those who have lost the lottery of life to be born into disrespected castes. There are dismally-low enrollment rates for Dalit (1%) and Madhesi (4%) communities compared to about 70% in higher caste Brahmin and Chhetri communities. Such vast differences also exist based upon the randomness of where one is born – a young woman from an urban environment is significantly more likely to attend university than one from a rural area.
With a team led by Room to Read co-founder Dinesh Shrestha, U-GO Nepal is providing crucial financial scholarships and mentorship support to marginalized young women. Over its first two years, U-GO Nepal has awarded 234 scholarships to aspiring doctors, engineers, teachers, entrepreneurs, among many other pursuits.
