
Established in 2011, Sunsar Maya is a small, non-profit organization based in San Francisco, California and Kathmandu, Nepal. The services they provide are centered on after-school education, teacher training, and physical and mental health care. They directly serve 185 children and women in Mahalaxmi (Lalitpur) and Jorpati (Kathmandu). A second AllPeopleBeHappy Project Grant of $9,617 was awarded to Sunsar Maya for its SuMa Women’s Literacy Program. This program teaches 90+ women in conversation and written English, Nepali, and mathematics. The English skills enable students to use communication devices, i.e., cell phones and computers which use English characters. By building the women’s literacy and numeracy skills in their native language, they can more easily manage daily tasks, such as shopping and paying bills, and perform life skills such as navigating government offices, using a bank account, and participating more fully in their communities.