I am thrilled to share the success of our collaboration with Windesheim Honours College, Netherlands, for the “Minor Managing Projects in a Globalised World-BBA Global Project and Change Management” program this Spring 2024. Welcoming six international students marked the beginning of an enriching journey in global education and collaboration. This partnership, connected by ONGD FNEL and FNEL Scouten n Guiden from Luxembourg, and driven by the inspirational efforts of Dr. Mauricio Pradena-Miquel and Ms. Agnes Camacho, highlights the powerful impact of the Scouts movement. Special thanks to Mr. Yann Wunsch, a FNEL Scout for his initiation and leadership for this project to happen. The dedication and enthusiasm of the students, combined with Dr. Pradena-Miquel’s leadership and our team’s guidance, ensured smooth execution and impactful results. Together, we have created a collaborative and enriching experience. – Niroj Shrestha, Director, Shikharapur CLC
General Group Blogpost
Team Members:
Isa van Loenen, Stefan van Eekeren, Floortje Besten, Zarina Boekhoudt, Louisa Edekobi , Guadalupe Perez Jimenez
For the past two months, we, a group of six students from Windesheim Honours College, have been working in collaboration with SCLC as a part of our Managing Projects in a Globalised World, as a part of our study Global Project and Change Management. This semester is about enhancing our project management skills in a real-world project, and in this case, in Nepal. Our main focus has been investigating how SCLC can further support the process of empowerment of female farmers in Dakshinkali Municipality to enhance practices of sustainable agriculture.
We delved into various topics surrounding agriculture, from organic farming to digital marketing. In our time in Pharping, we went on field visits and were able to engage with various farmers, SCLC staff, and the municipality, who have played a crucial part in helping us form a better understanding of this subject. Once we had our research findings, we combined our research and mapped them all out to have a holistic picture of these findings. We identified opportunities for empowering female farmers, which are detailed in a report for SCLC.
We are the first group from Windesheim to come to Nepal for this semester, so it has been an exciting learning journey for both us and SCLC. The past two months have been filled with invaluable experiences and cultural immersion. We learned not only about the challenges faced by female farmers, but also their incredible resilience and dedication. Through our field visits we witnessed first-hand how sustainable agriculture is put into practice by the community and try to understand what they need to further thrive.
We have been very warmly welcomed by everyone in Pharping and were helped every step of the way in our research process. We are very grateful for SCLC for making this an unforgettable experience for us and look forward to seeing how our research and recommendations can be implemented to empower female farmers and contribute to a more sustainable agricultural future for Dakshinkali Municipality.
“My experience with Shikharapur CLC.” – Flora
Hello,
I am Flora and as a student from the Netherlands, I had the incredible opportunity to work with the Shikharapur Community Learning Centre (SCLC) on a project focused on empowering female farmers in Pharping, Nepal. The project involved two months of preparation in the Netherlands followed by two months of field work in Pharping. This experience has been truly life-changing, and I thoroughly enjoyed working in such a different cultural environment.
I learned a great deal about Nepali culture and cherished the various rituals and events I experienced there. Staying with a host family during the first month was particularly enriching as it allowed me to immerse myself in both Nepali and Newari cultures. I am grateful for SCLC for arranging this experience.
Our arrival in Pharping was marked by a warm welcome ceremony, setting the tone for a positive stay. Throughout our research, SCLC provided invaluable support and partnership, helping us navigate the challenges and complexities of our work. The SCLC staff were always friendly and open, throughout our stay we had many meaningful conversations with them. The field visits arranged by SCLC were especially insightful, offering us hands-on learning experiences about agricultural practices and perspectives that went beyond what we could learn from articles alone. This practical exposure helped increase the depth of our understanding.
Conducting research in this setting also taught us how to manage language barriers and adapt to different social norms. We were immensely grateful for the translators provided through SCLC, who facilitated our interviews and other meaningful interactions.
Overall, my time working with SCLC in Pharping has been really rewarding, providing me with a lot of valuable lessons and experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Thank you for everything!
“Experiencing SCLC’s Mission in Nepal.” – Isa
Namaste everyone,
The past five months, me and my five members had the amazing opportunity to collaborate with the organization of Shikharapur CLC on a project to empower female farmers. Our collaboration started back in the Netherlands, where we gathered as a team in one of our classrooms to have our first online meeting with our client: Niroj. Although our study had been preparing us for the last two and a half years to work as a project team in an international setting, it was a new and exciting opportunity for us to work with a new client from Nepal. I remember being very curious about the experience ahead, and I could not wait to get on the plane to finally see Nepal in real life, and to start working together with everyone from SCLC. So, after our 20-hour long journey from Amsterdam to Kathmandu, I was curious and a bit nervous about the adventure that was ahead of us.
Luckily for us, we were welcomed with open arms to Pharping by the members from SCLC and our host families. We spent the day getting to know the town of Pharping, the office of SCLC and met the members of the organization that would help us with our project during our two-month stay. It was interesting to see how even though we are from very different worlds and live such different lives, we could be connected through our shared interests and aspirations to make a positive change in the world. SCLC is an organization that shares our ambition to help people live sustainable lives with a focus on well-being and inclusion. I can say it was an inspiring environment to be in, which we can also learn a lot from. What I found very nice to see is how respectful and kind everyone from the organization is, towards each other and towards us as foreign students. It quickly became clear how SCLC has built a good community throughout the years, and how everyone watches out for each other.
Throughout our project, we definitely had our obstacles with our research. It was challenging to be in such a new environment, not being familiar with the culture, communication and working style. However, we were very grateful for all the help we received from the members of SCLC. They helped us a lot with the arranging and translation of our interviews, field trips to farms, and further communication with stakeholders. The flexibility of SCLC really allowed us to learn how to work in an intercultural setting, which was a very nice learning opportunity.
It was also very interesting to visit the local farmers and learn about their lifestyle. Seeing first-hand what it’s like to be a farmer was eye-opening for me, especially compared to my life in the Netherlands. I can say I will look back on the whole experience with much gratitude and new insights. We wish you the best of luck with everything and we are excited to see what you will do in the future. Namaste, dhanyabaad, and hopefully see you soon!
