Last week saw us officially handover the brand new, three room classroom building to the principal, teachers and children of the Shree Madan- Aashrit Basic School in Tokha on the northern edge of the Kathmandu Valley.
Their main building was damaged in the 2015 earthquake. Initially the children were taught in bamboo and tarpaulin temporary learn centers, but after two monsoons and a harsh winter they were in a very dilapidated condition and no longer fit for purpose. To ensure classes could continue, the upper storey of the damaged building was patched up with plywood to provide more space.
School to approximately 90 children in classes 1 – 8, these new classrooms mean that the children are no longer squeezed into rooms too small and can be taught in a safe and weatherproof structure.
This was a bigger project than our last school, requiring a build from scratch, including the leveling of ground and an earth bank being cut back.
At times it felt like it would never be finished, but we got there in the end thanks to the tenacity and patience of Kaamal Miya who coordinated this project for us. Thank you Kamaal for your endless trips and phone calls to ensure they stayed on track.
It was wonderful to see the kids in their new classrooms and they and their teachers expressed their sincere thanks with Marigold malls, tikkas and a big round of applause.
There is still a little bit of work to finish off outside, like concreting the steps, but the school will finish that off. The government has also pledged to provide money to strengthen the bank behind the classrooms over the next few months, which is fantastic.
A Himalayan thank you all involved in making this rebuild project the success it is, but especially to the Wishner Family, collectively know as the Wishner5 and all their supporters for funding these new classrooms.