As almost all carpet factories in the Kathmandu Valley have dormitory facilities within the premises for workers, the factory floors and work places are playgrounds for children of all ages. Toddlers are seen running around or being breast fed when their mothers are busy weaving or spinning. For many children, this situation continues even after they attain school-going age. For these workers and their children, this situation is nothing different from the rural set up they come from. Therefore, it is hard for them to realise that it is not a normal thing from children’s rights for development and protection perspective.

A child day care and non-formal education centre available in a reasonable distance from a factory could be a solution for this problem. Such centres do not only provide toddlers with an opportunity for safe playground, but they also learn basics of education and more importantly, they are accustomed to a routine school environment. As they progress, parents are also motivated to continue their children's education.

Various organisations have set up such centres in different carpet belts. Some factories also have their own centres, sometimes run in co-operation with NGOs. These centres, however, are far from being enough for needy children in carpet factories. RUGMARK licensees, their suppliers and workers alike, are expecting RUGMARK for long to establish and run such centres. Some licensees, who already have such centres, also want RUGMARK to help them technically or financially.

In this context, NRF has established and running a Day Care cum NFE Centre in a carpet cluster, in co-operation with an experienced NGO, to cater the need of children of carpet workers from several factories owned by RUGMARK Licensees or by their suppliers. The Centre was started in 2001 has a capacity to enrol some 100 children of ages between 2 to 10 years. At present, there are 78 children coming to attend the classes six days a week from 11 carpet factories. Children are divided into three groups – play or nursery group, kindergarten group and elementary class. The objective is basically, to motivate children and their parents for schooling of the children and provide them with a better opportunity for development. Some of the graduates from this scheme could be linked up with the school sponsorship scheme, mentioned above.

The best part of this programme is that, the factories and the parents of the participating children are also asked to share cost (factories pay for the House rent and the parents for the mid-day meal), so as to have their involvement in the successful running of the centre. This Centre will be developed as a pilot project to test and refine the scheme. Other Centres will be established in future depending upon availability of funds.

The foundation has also been helping in improving the functioning of the Day Care cum Education Centres established and run by RUGMARK Licensees themselves or running of such centres in collaboration with Licensees. RUGMARK seeks necessary co-ordination and sharing of experiences with other centres/programmes in this field. Till now RUGMARK has supported eleven Day-care centres being run by the Licensees themselves.