After finally receiving permission from the Social Welfare Council to go ahead with the rebuild of our 6th & 7th Sindhuli schools back in the middle of October last year, last week we were finally able to handover both new buildings.
With the ongoing pandemic, a change of school mid-way and the general difficulties of working on such projects here in Nepal, the fact that we have actually managed to complete this project within a six-month timespan is true testament to the buy-in and hard work from both schools, the District Coordination Committee, the District Reconstruction Authority, the local Wards and of course our local partner, Collective Concern Society. Both schools are small primary schools, servicing in the region of about 200 children in total, mostly from poor, marginalised communities, and they are often overlooked by donors and local representatives in favour of larger, more prestigious schools with a greater pupil attendance. Given this to have the Mayor of the municipality take time out of his busy schedule to support the handover programmes was a massive coup and made a big statement about the importance of primary education.
With the jungle drums beating loud and hard about the threat of a new lockdown of the Kathmandu Valley starting later that week, Hari, Himalayan Quests Foundation’s Programme Manager headed off at the crack of sparrows last Monday, one day after the 6th anniversary of the devastating earthquake that set this project in motion, with a pile of sports equipment and stationery for both schools. Just over five hours later he arrived at the first school, Shree Kamala Basic School ready for the first handover ceremony in conjunction with the Mayor of Kamalamai Municipality. As with most functions in Nepal, it of course did not run to time as the Mayor was held up. While waiting for the Mayor to arrive, the time was used to distribute masks to everyone present and to talk about Covid and the main protocols to follow in order to keep everyone safe and healthy, and how essential it was to uphold them. The Mayor finally arrived, only an hour late and the festivities kicked off.
Our team was very warmly welcomed and speeches were given by all and sundry, before the Mayor kindly cut the ribbon and declared the new classrooms open, making classes 3 and 4 particularly happy, as this new building is to become their home away from home. Alongside his official ribbon cutting duties the Mayor also took time to talk with and listen to the head teacher and school management committee and the struggles they face on a day-to-day basis. This school has only 3 teachers for 135 students and is keen, now that it has more space, to open an Early Childhood Development class at the start of the new academic year. Given this, the Mayor kindly committed to funding another teacher for the school to help them realise their dreams, alongside new toilet facilities as the school’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) management is very poor.
The ceremony was finished off with us gifting the school some stationery and sports equipment, leaving nothing but smiles on the faces of everyone involved as they waved us goodbye.
A Himalayan thank you to everyone involved with this project. To Hari Bhusal our Himalayan Quests Foundation’s Programme Manager and Navaraj Pahadi of Collective Concern Society Nepal, our local partner in Sindhuli, without whom these rebuild projects would be nigh on impossible. The School Management Committee members, teachers and parents who all pulled together in support of the project to help get it finished in a timely manner under very difficult circumstances. Khadga Bahadur Khatri, the Mayor of Kamalamai Municipality for making time to join us at the opening ceremony and for his promise of much needed ongoing support. But most of all we wish to thank the Wishner Family, collectively known as the Wishner5 and their supporters for funding this their 11th classroom rebuild. Once more an amazing legacy has been created that will touch the lives of many children and teachers for years to come.
“A child without education is like a bird without wings.”—Tibetan Proverb