GESI promising practice: Strengthening inclusive education in Nepal

The SIKAI Project, funded by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program, aims to ensure vulnerable children in Nepal, especially those from socially excluded groups, access and succeed in education. Implemented in partnership with Humanity and Inclusion and World Education, it addresses inequalities related to caste, disability, ethnicity, religion, and gender, reaching 56,457 participants over five years. The project improves school structures, changes community attitudes, and strengthens local policies for inclusive education. Through evidence-based approaches like Community Change, Early Grade Reading, and inclusive WASH, SIKAI works at multiple levels—individual, school, community, and municipal—to create supportive environments and ensure children’s learning needs are met. Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the project adapted by using alternative learning methods and community-based learning clubs, while also fostering dialogue between communities and local governments through Citizen Voice and Action to promote inclusive education policies.