Pilot Dream Centre Flying!

After many months of planning, finding a location, training facilitators, preparing activities and course materials, and selecting girls (from so many candidates), our first Dream Centre is up and running! We visited this pilot Centre a couple of times on our recent visit to Kathmandu and also had a chance to run some workshops for the facilitators.

It was fantastic to see what the facilitators and Chetana, our Nepal Project Manager, had achieved in such a small time. The room was wonderfully decorated with the girls' artwork and there was a real atmosphere of fun and learning in the place. When the girls arrived we were very impressed with their confidence and the manner in which they got on with their work - the Centre was clearly already having an impact!

During one visit to the Centre we delivered some very special children's books that had been donated by the authors in Australia, who also signed the books. The girls could not believe that they were holding copies of books actually signed by the authors! It was great to see them so eager to open the books and start reading too. English is one of the subjects that the Dream Centre facilitators have been focusing on as many of the girls have been struggling with it. Books such as these will provide great additional learning material as well as a lot of fun for the girls.

This Centre will serve as the pilot for future centres with at least 1 and possibly 2 more to be opened by the end of the year. With already a long list of girls waiting to attend this Centre we will really need to get the next ones opened as quickly as possible as word spreads so will the demand!