CIUD, Bottlers Nepal conclude BABA project in community schools

KATHMANDU: The Centre for Integrated Urban Development (CIUD) and Bottlers Nepal, in collaboration with Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), have officially concluded the BABA (Balbalika and Batabaran) project in two community schools in Kathmandu.

The initiative concluded with the handover of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) at both schools in the presence of KMC Deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol, Education Expert from the KMC City Planning Commission, Shailendra Jha, and ward officials.

The programme, which began in June 2024, aims to expand students' knowledge beyond books and educate them on environmental issues. It addresses environmentally friendly adaptations such as waste segregation at source, separate collection, recycling, and upcycling. The programme also includes activities on WASH and Urban Water Management. It has been implemented at Himalaya Secondary School, Duganbahil, Newroad, KMC-22, and Shree Mahendra Saraswoti Sewa Basic School, Teku, KMC-12.

During the handover ceremony, students hosted tours for the guests of the two schools to showcase the newly established MRFs that include innovative waste prevention, source segregation, and separate collection systems that they will continue to use. The students will use the MRFs to collect recyclables and sell them to the collection vendor. The students intend to utilise the income generated by selling the waste to fund future BABA subgroup school events. All waste collected and sold will be recorded for future reference to understand the programme's impact.

Deputy Mayor Dangol concluded by encouraging students and the school management team. She thanked Coca-Cola Beverages Nepal and CIUD for successfully conducting the 'Balbalika ra Batabaran (BABA)—a School-Based Environmental Education Programme,' which is part of KMC’s Book-Free Friday initiative. She underlined that such innovative approaches will help students learn and adopt such practices more effectively.

KMC's CPC Expert Jha shed light on the functioning model of BABA subgroups and recognised that MRFs are more practicable than using the same type of dustbins for waste collection. This has helped students understand the value of the items they used to toss away, from which they are now collecting revenue.

Similarly, KMC-12 Ward Chairperson Bal Krishna Maharjan expressed that the initiative is very impressive. He said that he wanted to start the segregation campaign in households in his ward and was delighted to see the initiative started by the school children of his ward. He thanked the school children, teachers, and management. Likewise, he thanked CIUD and the project implementation partner Coca-Cola Beverages Nepal.

On behalf of CIUD, Nabin Bikash Maharjan, Executive Director, said that after learning at school, students will be able to apply their knowledge to their families, keeping them clean and orderly, and recognising the worth of waste.

Sneha Shrestha, Communications and Sustainability Manager at Coca-Cola Beverages Nepal, shared, "A better shared future is something we really believe in at Coca-Cola, and the BABA Project combines the children who will build the future and the knowledge it aims to impart among the children to strive for a sustainable environment. We are humbled to be part of KMC's Book-Free Friday initiative and thankful to our implementing partner CIUD for making this a success in the two schools."

Er Dilli Ratna Shakya, Chairperson of Himalayan Secondary School, thanked the CIUD team and Coca-Cola Beverages Nepal for their assistance and initiatives. He also praised Deputy Mayor Dangol for visiting the school and encouraging the team.

Coca-Cola Beverages Nepal refreshes consumers across the country through its core product offerings of Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, and Kinley, and impacts thousands as a system. The company works with WaterAid Nepal, the Centre for Integrated Urban Development (CIUD), Smart Paani, and Splash on innovative integrated water management solutions for water conservation, water replenishment, and improving the livelihoods of communities, making Coca-Cola a water-positive company.

Likewise, CIUD, in collaboration with Coca-Cola Beverages Nepal, is a non-governmental organisation that promotes people-centred urban development.