CFFN - Press Release

CFFN Sets a New Direction and Elects a New Executive Body

May 23, 2009, Ottawa, Canada: Canada Forum for Nepal (CFFN), a leader in Canada in promoting critical thinking about the contemporary issues of Nepal has decided to change the name of the organization to Canada Foundation for Nepal and to become a charitable organization. These decisions were made at its third annual general meeting held in Ottawa, Canada.

The organization also adopted new principles to guide its operations. A resolution was introduced so that CFFN can focus on making tangible contributions in extending the light of education and livelihood to the margins of society. The resolution said, "Educating one generation of citizens amounts to giving education to many generations. This is because those who are educated put a high premium on the education of their children, and this tendency transfers from one generation to the next. Among all that one earns in life, only education has the power to improve the overall quality of life of individuals as well as the value systems of the society." It also said, "Knowledge, information and technology also have a vital effect on livelihood. The effect becomes ever more substantive if the education reaches to entire citizenry, preserves traditional knowhow, respects local traditions and cultures, and promotes sustainable development."

The general assembly elected Dr Pramod Dhakal as the Director of the organization. Also elected were Dr Govinda Dahal as the Deputy-Director, Mr Pradeep Raj Sharma as the Treasurer, Mr Benjamin Wood as the secretary, and Ms Geeta Thapa, Mr Michael Casey and Dr Nirmala Sharma as members of the Executive Board.

While presenting the annual report, Founding Executive Director, Dr Pramod Dhakal said, "The numbers of achievements made by CFFN in the last year were substantial and noteworthy. We spent our energy in various areas to cater to our own divergent interests and to identify emerging areas. The juncture we are at is the culmination of that past experience. With our energy concentrated into a specific direction, CFFN will make ever stronger contributions in the future."

During the meeting, the general assembly discussed a new concept that will become a central project for the organization for the years to come. USHA, which stands for Ushering our Shared Aspirations, focuses on developing educational content for preschool through secondary levels that promotes sustainable development while preserving traditional knowledge and skills. It will also develop delivery systems for that content, including training new and existing teachers and mobilizing volunteers and technologies to improve current institutions and infrastructures. CFFN will also collect feedback from professionals and policy makers to constantly improve the program.

Achievements of CFFN since its inception have been stellar for an organization run by volunteer efforts. We anticipate that CFFN will make even greater contributions in generating greater collaborations with national and international institutions to bring education, knowledge and information to the margins of society in Nepal and in developing new thoughts in the process.

For more information, please visit us online at www.cffn.ca.

About CFFN

Canada Foundation for Nepal (formally Canada Forum for Nepal), officially registered as a not–for–profit organization, started to work on a range of activities since 2005. Initially we invested substantial efforts in promoting peace in Nepal through our engagement with leading public figures, government/non-government agencies and the public in Canada. Subsequently we entered into and contributed significantly in research and development activities on issues pertaining to Nepal, and in the area of rural education. The idea behind it has been to support the millennium development goal, particularly the one related to promote universal education by 2015. As the level of literacy of Nepalese people is considerably low, CFFN focuses its evidence based efforts to educate the most disadvantaged children, women and men of Nepal who lack basic education, knowledge, and capacity to achieve decent-livelihood. Our programs stem from not only the needs of individuals, families and nations but also the world as a whole.

Our Experiences

Canada Forum for Nepal has accumulated valuable experience in working with reputed people in Nepal and abroad. We have accumulated substantial experiences working with a number of educational institutions, educators, and parents in targeted regions of Nepal. We have set-up computing laboratories, and have successfully sent international and Nepalese volunteers to rural Nepal. Our activities also include technical assessment, educational assistance, knowledge transfer, training, and research. We are also establishing an early childhood education centre to demonstrate its impact in the educational attainment of rural children. All these activities were performed successfully in collaboration with international and local educational institutions, local administration, District Education Office and the Ministry of Education.

The associates of CFFN are world-class and reputed people who are committed to achieving and maintaining high level of standards in their works.

Sincerely,
Pramod Dhakal, PhD
Executive Director