Nepal College of Development Studies (Nepal)
The Nepal College of Development Studies was established in 2007 with an aim to nurture young people to be professional human service practitioners with bachelor degrees in art, social work, and rural development. It is associated with Tribhuvan University and owned by the Sutra Center for Development Education, a non-profit organization. NCDS is a founding member of Nepal School of Social Work ( NSSW ) and is organizing an international conference on Community Engagement. International participants are welcome to be part of this conference.
NCDS believes in creating a learning environment where each student educates themselves with their own space and spirit to experiment, innovate, and be change agents. NCDS graduates are also involved in research and extension activities that benefit the surrounding communities. Community engagement is a core pillar of the university’s work. NCDS involves students in various community engagement activities and volunteerism, in addition to classroom instruction and learning.
College with Community (CWC): College with Community is a joint initiative of NCDS and the Kadmabari Memorial College of Science and Management (KMCSM). Initiated in September 2013, this program aims to work with the community at large. The initial activity consisted of a 3-month program with children in slums. The program was called Engagement Through Cricket (ETC). Through ETC, NCDS students were involved with the children in behavior improvement through a training in cricket, which uses sports as a space for developing positive attitudes and work ethic.
Caring Community: NCDS is located near the bank of a river in Kathmandu, the Rudramati. The college carried out a 4-month river-cleaning campaign. Working with the Kathmandu Municipality, the school acted as the local coordinator, involving social work and rural development students and faculty to create awareness platform for members of the community to work toward a common interest.
Friends of NSSW: Recently, the Nepal School of Social Work (a think tank for social work and social policy studies) initiated a non-academic program designed to promote community engagement and volunteerism. This program, called Friends of NSSW, is focused on instilling social responsibility in young people, toward their society and themselves. This 3-month program is executed with classes on volunteerism, interpersonal skills, ethics, social mapping, building relationships, and giving back to society through community services at children hospitals, schools, nursing homes, cottage industries, and rural communities in Nepal.
Neighborhood camps and rural camps: NCDS has two camps in their academic program, to give exposure to a different community in Nepal and provide an opportunity for students to experience a real life practice model. During the 5-day and 10-day camps, students learn alongside members of the community and volunteer in local projects.