By Lisa Lyons | U. S. Director
It's been about 28 months since the 7.8-magnitude earthquake devastated much of Nepal. Since that time, ETC's commitment to helping the people of three Village Development Committees (or VDCs, somewhat similar to American counties) make better lives for themselves has been unwavering. The village residents themselves - our valued and constant project partners - have also shown enormous resilience and determination. But the work itself has, of course, been more challenging than usual. Because literally every one of the 30 schools* with which we had been working suffered major physical damage, every one of them needed significant help to get up and running again.
And although it's now more than two years later, many of them STILL need significant help in order to provide the kind of learning environment that the children deserve.
The photo above, depicting the early childhood education classroom at Bhadrawati Primary School, illustrates this point. There are ETC-provided educational materials and items of furniture - but more of both are needed to ensure a welcoming and comfortable learning environment for these 4- to 6-year-old children. Unfortunately, given that many unimproved "temporary" classrooms like this one can't be locked when not in use, there is a risk of theft (we know, it's sad...but it happens) and therefore it's not a good idea to leave anything of any value inside. Moreover, the building itself is neither as weatherproof nor as sturdy as it should be.
Compare this to the photo below, showing the early education classroom at Deurali Primary School. This was one of the first new buildings we supported, in early 2016. It's sturdy, weatherproof, comfortable, attractive, and well-supplied/furnished. The children, teachers, and families are delighted with it. The building design (our own) has been praised by the District Education Office as a model for replication elsewhere.
These two photos were both taken earlier this summer, and these schools are within a relatively short distance of each other in the same VDC. Yet it's clear to all of us which classroom we'd prefer for our own children.
We are very grateful for your support of children's education in rural Nepal. If you're able to make another gift now, we'd be even more grateful - and so would the children and their families!
Until next time, thank you once again.
* In an earlier report, we mentioned that one small school with which we had been working prior to the quakes had not yet reopened, and that the students had to walk farther to attend school elsewhere. We are very glad to report that that school has recently reopened, much to the benefit and happiness of the local families!
Photos by Rajanee Kunwar, ETC Documentation Officer
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