A CHILD WITHOUT EDUCATION IS LIKE A BIRD WITHOUT WINGS.
Tibetan Proverb
It’s hard to know when a random act of kindness will take hold and fly. Mikey and Ali Church’s decision to forgo wedding gifts in exchange
for donations to help start the MIKEY MEDIUM ENGLISH SCHOOL in
impoverished Far Western Nepal 18 years ago has grown
exponentially into an accomplished and admired educational setting
for some of the country’s most marginalized students, especially
girls. Mikey Church was impressed that this school would be a
grassroots endeavor.Since the inception of the non-profit Grassroots Education Nepal (GEN) in 2010, our commitment to local decision making remains with the Mikey Medium English School (MMES) community under guidance from GEN. For this reason, MMES is still growing and is on track to a self-sufficient future. GEN is a 100% volunteer organization. YOUR DONATIONS WILL ACCELERATE THIS TIMELINE TO INDEPENDENCE.
OUR STORY:
Mikey Medium English School is the beneficiary of GEN’s Vision,
Mission, and Values
MMES was originally the revolutionary vision of Ujjwal and Balraj
Bhat, residents of the small village of Bauniyan in Kailali District
Nepal. They believed that education in English can help lift all
children out of poverty.The school got its name in a serendipitous way. The Bhat brothers shared their vision with Mikey Church who was on a world-wide cycling trek when he, by chance, met the Bhat family in the middle of the chaotic 2005 Maoist uprising in Western Nepal. Mike was moved to help. Mike and his fiancée, Ali, asked that wedding gifts be given as donations to the Bhat’s school. Hence, Mikey Medium English School was founded in 2008 with 48 students.
When Mike shared the story with his parents, they were touched by the idea. Barbara Church had been an educator for more than 30 years. Her husband had worked and traveled with the US State Department. To help the school succeed, they founded Grassroots Education Nepal to provide student scholarships, professional development for teachers and the framework for self-sustainability. Since its inception, GEN has helped the school expand from 48 students to over 500 students, pre-kindergarten through Grade 8. Of these, approximately 50% are desperately poor with very limited educational alternatives available to them.
As of 2025, many students have been promoted from MMES and are meeting with success in local occupations, such as farm managers, computer technicians, office assistants and teachers. Additionally, many students are continuing their education in high schools and colleges in Kathmandu, India, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the USA. This is a testament to our original proverb: “A child without education is like a bird without wings.” Mikey Medium English School students now have wings!
Contact US
Email grass.roots.education.nepal@gmail.com or bhillchurch@aol.comPhone: +1 410- 721-5944
Address:
Grassroots Education Nepal Corporation
PO Box 131 Davidsonville, MD 21035
VOLUNTEER:
Grassroots Education Nepal has sponsored over 12 volunteers who have traveled to Far Western Nepal to teach and learn with the students and members of the Mikey Medium English School (MMES) community. Volunteers stayed for several weeks up to several months. They are hosted, at no cost, by local MMES families, with few amenities but warm hospitality.Grassroots Education Nepal would be happy to facilitate volunteer opportunities at MMES. If you would like to be considered as a volunteer, please contact Barbara Church by email:
bhillchurch@aol.com
How to Help -- Donations and Gifts Accepted
We appreciate your support. All gifts are applied directly to support grass roots education in rural Nepal, without reduction for overhead expenses. Grassroots Education Nepal (GEN) Corporation is registered in the State of Maryland as a non-profit charitable organization, and also is registered with the US Internal Revenue Service as a 501(C)(3) not-for-profit charity. EIN 35-2383201. 100% of your gift is tax-deductible. Mikey Medium English School (MMES) has authority to use contributions made to Grass Roots Education Nepal (GEN) Corporation only as specified by and subject to the oversight of the GEN Board of Directors in support of the Mission, School Improvement Plan and school-related Goals and Objectives approved by the Board. There are two ways you can donate -- via PayPal or by check.Donate through PayPal ...
You can use your credit card or PayPal account for your donation. Simply click here OR click on the "donate button", below. You do not need a PayPal account to use this method of payment in support of Grassroots Education Nepal.
Include in your PayPal donation your name, email address, and mailing address.
Or Donate by Check ...
Make checks payable to Grassroots Education Nepal (GEN) Corporation and mail to:
Grassroots Education Nepal (GEN) Corporation
PO Box 131
Davidsonville, MD 21035
Please enclose a note with your name, mailing address, and email address.
IMPORTANT for all donations:
In addition to your credit card or mailed gift, could you kindly send an email to us at grass.roots.education.nepal@gmail.com and let us know that you've sent a gift, and include in the email: your name, mailing address, email address, and date, and amount of your gift. THANK YOU!!
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