Vote For SMILES!!!

Creating SMILES - building the Nation (SMILES) is a youth initiative based on the conclusion that using engineering and technology in an environmental friendly way can create the prerequisites needed for the development of education and health care in the rural villages. These will lead to an increased number of job opportunities and sustainable village life. Opportunities to start various community development projects may rise. These will open up a variety of chances for substantial and sustainable incomes and community entrepreneurship. Thus, the combination of technology and socio-economic interventions will lead to an increased living standard for the people in the rural villages. In Nepal where more than 80% of the people live in rural areas and out of them 42% still live under acute poverty line, it will provide the villagers with information, education and health care along with an enhanced employment market. SMILES is run by an NGO Help Himalaya (http://www.helphimalaya.org.np/ ).

It is a matter of pride for all of us that Creating SMILES – building the nation has recently been selected to be featured at the Clinton Global Initiative University Annual General Meeting 2010, April 16-18, University of Miami, Florida. This event is being jointly organized by 42^nd US President Bill Clinton and the University of Miami.

Recently we have entered into the Dell Social Innovation competition 2010, organized by the University of Texas and Dell Inc. The competition is looking for the students with ground breaking idea in mind from around the world who want to improve areas of critical human need through innovation. From all the entries, the judges from the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas select up to 50 semifinalist entries to move to the second round of competition. Also, the 10 ideas with the most votes move forward as semifinalists.

Voting Ends– March 4, 23:00 UTC ( Coordinated Universal Time, also known as GMT)

Semifinalists Announced – March 5

So we would like to request you for your support in our participation in one of the most prestigious competitions.

To vote for the project Creating SMILES- building the nation, please follow the instructions:

Step I: Follow this link: http://www.dellsocialinnovationcompetition.com/

Step II: Click "Register Now" and create an account with a username, password and a mailing id.

Step III: After your account has been created you can search for the project Creating SMILES – building the nation in the customized search box at the top right part of the site.

Step IV: After searching the project, you can vote for us by clicking at the promote button at the left side of the project description.

Step V: Do not forget to forward this message to all of your acquaintances.

It will just take you a few seconds.

Happy Voting!!!!!!!!!!

Help us spread the words about SMILES. You can update your Status on the social networking sites as "I am voting for a Nepalese youth initiative Creating SMILES – building the nation in the Dell Social Innovation Competition 2010. Are you?". Don't forget to attach the link http://sntshpdl.blogspot.com/2010/02/vote-for-smiles_28.html.

Join us at Facebook. Search for the group Creating SMILES – building the nation.

Thanking You,

With best regards

Santosh Poudel

Founder and Team Leader

SMILES

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Vote for SMILES!!!!!

Creating SMILES - building the Nation (SMILES) is a youth initiative based on the conclusion that using engineering and technology in an environmental friendly way can create the prerequisites needed for the development of education and health care in the rural villages.  These will lead to an increased number of job opportunities and sustainable village life. Opportunities to start various community development projects may rise. These will open up a variety of chances for substantial and sustainable incomes and community entrepreneurship. Thus, the combination of technology and socio-economic interventions will lead to an increased living standard for the people in the rural villages. In Nepal where more than 80% of the people live in rural areas and out of them 42% still live under acute poverty line, it will provide the villagers with information, education and health care along with an enhanced employment market. SMILES is run by an NGO Help Himalaya (http://www.helphimalaya.org.np/ ).

 
It is a matter of pride for all of us that Creating SMILES – building the nation has been recently selected to be featured at the Clinton Global Initiative University Annual General Meeting 2010, April 16-18, University of Miami, Florida. This event is being jointly organized by 42^nd  US President Bill Clinton and the University of Miami.

Recently we have entered into Dell Social Innovation competition 2010 organized by the University of Texas and Dell Inc. The competition is looking for college students with ground breaking idea in mind from around the world who want to improve areas of critical human need through innovation. From all the entries, the judges from the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas select up to 50 semifinalist entries to move to the second round of competition. Also, the 10 ideas with the most votes move forward as semifinalists.

 

Voting Ends– March 4, 23:00 UTC
 

Semifinalists Announced – March 5 

So we would like to request you for your support in our participation in one of the prestigious competitions.

To vote for the project Creating SMILES- building the nation, please follow the instructions:

Step I: Follow this link: http://www.dellsocialinnovationcompetition.com/

Step II: Click "Register Now" and create an account with a username, password and a mailing id.

Step III: After your account has been created you can search for the project Creating SMILES – building the nation in the customized search box at the top right part of the site.

Step IV:  After searching the project, you can vote for us by clicking at the promote button at the left side of the project description.

Step V: Do not forget to forward this message to all of your acquaintances.

It will just take you a few seconds.

Happy Voting!!!!!!!!!!

Help us spread the words SMILES. You can update your Status on the social networking sites as "I am voting for a Nepalese youth Initiative Creating SMILES – building the nation in the Dell Social Innovation Competition 2010. Are you?" Don't forget to attach the link http://sntshpdl.blogspot.com/2010/02/vote-for-smiles.html.

Join us at Facebook. Search for the group Creating SMILES – building the nation.

 

Thanking You,

With best regards

Santosh Poudel

Founder and Team Leader

SMILES

»»  read more

Immediate next Phase Work: Pilot Phase II

Background

SMILES is a rural based project managed by an NGO called Help Himalaya (http://www.helphimalaya.org.np/). The main objective of SMILES is to introduce and implement the combination of technology and socio-economical interventions that may lead to an increased living standard for the people in the rural villages of Nepal. It is a pleasure to let you know that SMILES has been selected to be featured at the Clinton Global Initiative University Annual General Meeting, 2010.

The pilot phase of SMILES was launched in September 2009. Though a small budget, it was a landmark in the field of energy development and sanitation. 40 watts solar panels were installed in two different schools and a toilet was built in the remote village, Kalimati, Sindhuli District, Nepal. It has given us profound results. Specially, the weak students who are residing around the school utilize their leisure evening time (after their day of schooling and household job) for tutoring in the classroom, under the bright light we donated. The adult literacy classes at night will also be using it. The single toilet that we built is assisting three households. The areas that were seen filled with stools some months ago are now turning grassy green and fresh. This change has obviously left other villagers thoughtful, calculating on the difference in having a toilet. With this positive and inspiring feedback, we wish to move to next phase. This would be called Pilot Phase II. In this phase, we will be focusing on computers and computer education. We want to provide the schools with computer labs and computers. The school teachers, students and the villagers will be given basic computer courses. We will develop two standard softwares for the use of the school children and the villagers. One of the softwares will be aimed at helping the students to read and write English words and sentences. The other one would help to train the villagers who are illiterate to write in Roman (writing Nepali words in the English alphabet). This is because initially it would be easier for the villagers to learn the English letters only rather than the words and use these letters to write Nepali words. This will be useful in e-mail correspondence with relatives living far away.

Specification

The computer education program will be initiated in two different schools, Binayak School of Kalimati and Chilaunekharka School of Chilaunedada. Both of the schools were each supplied with a 40 watt solar panel during the Pilot Phase I. A computer lab will be constructed in each of the schools. Each school will have two desktop computers with LCD monitors consuming less energy, and two 85-watts solar panels to run the computers.

A teacher form each school will be given basic computer training by SMILES and when comprehensible assigned to spread the gained knowledge to colleagues, students and villagers.

The softwares will be chosen from a competition SMILES will organize inviting various engineering colleges in Pokhara. The winners will have a grant. The winning softwares will be selected as standard device of SMILES for giving computer classes to the students and the local villagers in the rural villages of Nepal.

Estimated Budget for Pilot Phase II

Items	Quantity	Rate (NPR)	amount (NPR)
Computer lab room (4*6 m2 )	2	50,000	100,000
Equipment
Desktop computer	4	35,000	140,000
Computer table	4	1,000	4,000
Solar panels, 85 watts each	4	57,000	228,000
Software competition program
Award amount	2	5,000	10,000
Program organization	-	-	5000
Computer training
Training	2	1,500	3,000
Miscellanoeous Expenses	-	-	10,000
TOTAL AMOUNT			500,000

Note: Rates can be changed according to the current market price.

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