Better Schools in Rural Nepal!

The summer of 2014 marks a transitional period for Educate the Children, as we are phasing out of the villages where we have worked since 2008 and into a new set of villages, farther to the north and higher up in the Himalayan foothills. (I use the word “foothills” somewhat tongue-in-cheek and in a relative sense, since more than two-thirds of the Dolakha District terrain is at or above 2,000 meters/6,400 feet in elevation!)

We could not leave, however, without completing the final school improvements in the old project area. This work will ensure a safer, more comfortable, and more attractive learning environment for thousands of children both immediately and for years to come. Since May, the work we have completed includes: 

• At Devisthan Lower Secondary School – new roofing, painting, and ground maintenance
• At Suryodaya Lower Secondary School – painting and new classroom furniture
• At Kshamawati Higher Secondary School – new classroom furniture
• At Guranse Primary School – new classroom furniture
• At Saraswoti Vidya Mandir Primary School – plastering and painting
• At Mahadesthan Primary School – plastering, painting, and veranda maintenance

You can see the some of the results of this work in the attached photos.

Preparing to begin doing school improvement work in new villages involves working closely with school personnel to identify the greatest and most pressing needs, as well as gathering support from parents and other community members who will be participating in the work by collecting materials and providing labor. Subject to the final decisions made in the coming weeks at a meeting of ETC personnel and all area schools’ headmasters/headmistresses, it is our plan to complete the following work by summer 2015 (some schools may receive more than one kind of assistance):

• Fifteen schools will have plastering and painting work done
• Six schools will receive new classroom furniture
• Five schools will have new toilets built and grounds maintenance work done
• Five schools will have work done to install or fix doors and windows

In our next quarterly report, we will include some photos of the specific schools in the new villages where we’ll be working during the coming fall, winter, and spring. For now, if you are interested to see typical conditions at public rural schools in this area, you can see some photos on ETC’s website at http://www.etc-nepal.org/photos4.php.

In the meantime, as always, we thank you very much for your support. We truly could not do it without you!

Links:

• Photos of new project area
• ETC's Facebook page