{"id":1079,"date":"2025-08-22T17:38:37","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T17:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.braceducation.org\/?p=1079"},"modified":"2025-08-26T15:25:01","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T15:25:01","slug":"sustainability-champions-inside-nepals-award-winning-kopila-valley-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.braceducation.org\/index.php\/2025\/08\/22\/sustainability-champions-inside-nepals-award-winning-kopila-valley-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability Champions: Inside Nepal\u2019s Award-Winning Kopila Valley School"},"content":{"rendered":"

This<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>is a story<\/span> about sustainable community development, conservation education and the power we each have to make a difference.<\/span><\/p>\n

For me, it\u2019s about a lot more than that, too. I\u2019m a former journalism professor, but I\u2019m not even going to attempt objectivity here; this is advocacy, pure and simple. I want you to love this place and its people as much as I do.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Welcome to Kopila Valley School<\/h2>\n

After working with leaders and experts in over 45 countries, Nepal’s Kopila Valley School is the <\/span>single<\/span>\u00a0most remarkable, inspiring place I have ever been and the most committed, vibrant, remarkable group of people I have seen work together.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, I\u2019m not surprised WWF Nepal has recognized Kopila Valley School as the <\/span>Best Eco Club<\/span> in a Secondary School in Nepal. I<\/span>ts<\/span> dedication to sustainability and fostering environmental connections for students is a sight to behold\u2014and one I have seen with my own eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have also sat on the concrete floor at lunchtime and eaten with the kids\u2014tasty, nutritious food they helped grow themselves and local Aunties prepared using a solar power system <\/span>on the cafeteria roof.<\/span><\/p>\n

The solar cooking system consists of three rows of curved mirrors that focus sunlight on an insulated pipe containing oil that is heated to high temperatures and then transported <\/span>down<\/span>\u00a0to pots in the kitchen. On an average sunny day, the system can cook rice, lentils and vegetables for 500 hungry people!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Lunch<\/p>\n

Lunch at Kopila Valley School Photo shared by BlinkNow Foundation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

WWF Nepal\u2019s Commitment to Conservation Education<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Over the course of<\/span>\u00a0its 30 years,\u00a0<\/span>WWF Nepal<\/span><\/a>\u00a0has maintained a dual mission: to stop the degradation of the natural environment and build a future in which people live in harmony with nature.<\/span><\/p>\n

That future depends upon Nepal\u2019s children.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

So, WWF focuses the majority of its efforts on conservation education. Conservation education <\/span>is designed<\/span>\u00a0to instill a sense of value and stewardship in young people across the country\u00a0<\/span>so<\/span>\u00a0they take action toward conservation and sustainable development now and in the future. <\/span><\/p>\n

(If you have kids or grandkids with whom you\u2019d like to share conservation stories, check out\u00a0<\/span>WWF Nepal videos and books in English at the bottom of the page linked here<\/span><\/a>.)<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Kopila<\/p>\n

Kopila Valley School in Surkhet, Nepal, September 17, 2022. Photo by Allison Shelley | Shared by BlinkNow Foundation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

From its inaugural school eco club in 1994, WWF Nepal has sought to educate, engage and empower 500,000 youth through conservation education. The eco club program emphasizes learning by doing and works toward ensuring equitable access to educational resources, promoting social action models, and developing a nationwide youth network to build pro-environment and biodiversity values.<\/span><\/p>\n

WWF Nepal aims to create a generation of Nepali youth committed to sustainable development and biodiversity conservation that effectively engages and influences wider stakeholders.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>exactly<\/span>\u00a0what\u2019s happening at Kopila Valley. The kids will tell you about it themselves in English from the halfway point (3:00) in this video shared online by WWF Nepal:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Hikmat Bhandari, staff mentor for the Ambassador Club\u2019s waste management group, says this video contributed to the hands-on learning experience\u00a0<\/span>that is<\/span>\u00a0prevalent at Kopila Valley and necessary in Nepal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStudents in Nepal need to learn about conservation to establish a sense of connection and responsibility\u00a0<\/span>toward<\/span>\u00a0the environment and encourage them to\u00a0<\/span>become active participants<\/span>\u00a0in conserving natural resources and the environment for future generations.\u00a0<\/span>This<\/span>\u00a0also provides valuable experiences and skills that\u00a0<\/span>are beneficial to<\/span> them in life, like research, public speaking and policymaking.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Students in the Sustainability Ambassadors Club at Kopila Valley played a key role in securing this award\u00a0<\/span>and created<\/span>\u00a0a video submission highlighting their work in four groups: forest fire, plantation or cultivation and care, waste management, and climate change.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Each group studies an environmental challenge and then plans projects to take collective and collaborative action. Students from grades 6\u201312 <\/span>have the option to<\/span>\u00a0participate in this club, which currently boasts 38 members and hosts various eco projects and community service efforts during the year.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to WWF Nepal,\u00a0<\/span>\u201cThis honor is awarded to educational institutions that have demonstrated exceptional commitment and ingenuity in advancing environmental sustainability.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Kopila Valley\u2014Nepal\u2019s Greenest School<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

What makes<\/span>\u00a0this award at this school\u00a0<\/span>especially unique is that<\/span>\u00a0these kids are not from well-connected families in Kathmandu or\u00a0<\/span>even in<\/span>\u00a0their\u00a0<\/span>own<\/span>\u00a0community.<\/span>\u00a0The school\u00a0<\/span>is located<\/span>\u00a0in Birendranagar, Surkhet district, in Nepal\u2019s largest province, Karnali, 375 miles west of Kathmandu.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both<\/span>\u00a0Nepal\u2019s longest river and its two largest lakes are in Karnali,\u00a0<\/span>as<\/span>\u00a0are two national parks, Rara and Shey Phoksundo.<\/span>\u00a0But Surkhet\u2019s population has nearly tripled in the last 40 years, putting enormous pressure on resources and the environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nepal’s<\/span>\u00a0per capita income\u00a0<\/span>in fiscal year 2022\u20132023 was approximately $1,381; in Karnali Province, it was just $964. The Nepali average multidimensional poverty rate is 17.4%; in Karnali Province, it is 39.5%.<\/span><\/p>\n

Since its inception, Kopila Valley School has undertaken rigorous admission processes to ensure that\u00a0<\/span>they are<\/span>\u00a0identifying and accepting children who in most cases would have no access or opportunity to attend school.<\/span> It is a not-for-profit, private school offering free, world-class education (plus uniforms and meals) to over 425 students <\/span>from<\/span>\u00a0across the region.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Distinct from many schools in the area, Kopila Valley offers the best education through an innovative place-based active learning program, a leading-edge, sustainable school campus, and comprehensive, ongoing training of local teachers and leaders.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Kopila<\/p>\n

Kopila Valley School in Birendranagar, Surkhet, Nepal | Photo courtesy of BlinkNow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Between the Mountain and the Sky: Maggie\u2019s Story<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

If this story sounds familiar, you may have heard of co-founder Maggie Doyne when she won the 2015 CNN Hero of the Year Award or was on the cover of the\u00a0<\/span>New York Times magazine<\/span><\/em>\u00a0in 2010.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"BlinkNow<\/p>\n

BlinkNow Co-founder & CEO, Maggie Doyne | Shared by BlinkNow Foundation<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

I met Maggie in 2009 when she dreamed of opening a simpler, bamboo-construction school near the Children\u2019s Home where she lived with co-founder Tope Malla and his family and around 40 children. She was 22 years old and had\u00a0<\/span>already<\/span>\u00a0lived in Nepal for several years.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two things struck me:<\/strong><\/p>\n