Simone Galimberti
Co-founder of ENGAGE Nepal
I am Simone Galimberti, co-founder of Engage a local NGO promoting partnership and cooperation for youth living in disability.
We at Engage have a very good relationship and partnership with the British Council. I’d say that the British Council is one such agency that has been more understanding and supportive of the issue of social inclusion. Engage is working towards the social inclusion of youth with physical disabilities, so we have a great collaboration with the British Council. When we think about collaboration and partnership, most of us think about the financial aspect of things. But, I strongly believe, we can also do a lot even without money. This is, in fact, a smart way to collaborate because it is a very practical way to work as partners. British Council offered scholarships for 5 to 8 youth with physical disabilities and this covered the cost of English language classes at the British Council. The English language can be a big game changer. It works to promote empowerment, as a working knowledge of English can really make a difference. For three years the British Council promoted these scholarships and it showed positive results; our beneficiaries were very happy. It was also a great opportunity to learn about how a foreign institution like the British Council works. Even better was getting to know the people, the employees of the British Council who showed great friendship, great understanding and great sensitivity about the issue of social disability.