Education Nepal Project #15934

Better Schools in Rural Nepal!

by Educate the Children

Project Report | Jun 30, 2016
What happens in the schools we build and furnish?

By Lisa Lyons | U.S. Director

ETC-Nepal staff distributing school supplies

This GlobalGiving project was originally launched in late 2013 so that ETC, with your kind and generous support, could physically improve school facilities in rural Nepal. In the aftermath of the spring 2015 earthquakes, that work became more urgent and the needs greater than ever before. Schools needed temporary buildings immediately, and more permanent buildings as quickly as possible. They need new toilets and new or repaired sources of drinking water. They also need furniture and supplies such as complete desk and bench sets, shelving units, carpeting, computers, and educational and recreational materials. ETC has been working hard to construct sturdy two-classroom buildings, toilets, and drinking water sources at more than two dozen schools in our current and former project areas, and to provide furniture and supplies at these and dozens of other schools. This work is ongoing, because the needs are long-term.

Although the obvious importance of having school buildings to go to cannot be overstated, it is equally important that children can actually attend, and that their experience is enriching. With that in mind, in this quarterly report we'd like to tell you about some of the "soft" programs that complement the physical infrastructure work, and which make ETC so effective in improving education in rural Nepal.

In February, ETC provided important basic support to 670 children from impoverished families, who might otherwise have to be kept home from school. We do this every year, covering relatively low-cost necessities (fees, supplies, uniforms) that are nevertheless beyond the reach of some families. Pictured at the top of this report, ETC-Nepal Director Mira Rana and Education Director Laxmi Basukala present a child with her new backpack full of useful supplies.
We also hold regular group meetings with parents – attended by hundreds annually – at which parents gain information and learn strategies to give their children the best chance to succeed at school. Topics include the importance of regular school attendance and of reading at home, behavioral issues and how best to cope, and health issues.
Rural teachers in Nepal are very unlikely to have access to professional development opportunities. ETC provides training every year to dozens of teachers of varying grade levels and subjects. Earlier this year, 34 teachers from 30 schools participated enthusiastically in a three-day music therapy training workshop, led by a well-known Nepali singer/musician. Incorporating music and dance into young children’s school activities offers an outlet for energy, fosters a positive learning environment, enables the use of skills and thought processes not typically engaged through desk work, and in this case provides children with a way to work through any ongoing post-quake stress. Pictured below are some of the training participants dancing to a lively song, and young children at Guranse Primary School dancing and singing in their classroom.
Finally, enriching extracurricular activities are an important component of any child's education. ETC supports volleyball tournaments, art competitions, and club activities such as our Agriculture in Schools program. Participants learn about the dignity and importance of agricultural work, gain practical experience through planning and cultivating their school gardens, and pass on their newfound skills and knowledge to their farming families. Pictured below are program participants at Milijuli Lower Secondary School, led by ETC staff agricultural specialist Chock Badahur Thami.

All of this "hard" and "soft" work is crucial to the success of our educational programming, and as always, we thank you very much for making it possible.

Teachers participating in music therapy training

Guranse Primary School children singing

Agriculture in Schools, Milijuli Lower Sec. School

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Apr 4, 2016
Gearing up for the new school year

By Lisa Lyons | U.S. Director

Young student practicing her writing skills

The school year in Nepal begins in the second half of April, soon after Nepali New Year (which this year will be April 13th on the Gregorian calendar). The opening of the soon-to-begin school year will coincide with the one-year anniversary of the worst earthquake to strike Nepal since 1934.

As you know, ETC responded quickly to ensure that children could get back to school as quickly as possible after the quakes last year, in temporary classrooms.

The damage was so widespread that it will take a long time to recover fully. Speaking very broadly, there two major obstacles to continued progress in school infrastructure recovery:

The Nepal national government has allocated approximately US$1,500 per affected school for post-quake reconstruction. This is nowhere near enough to rebuild more than one small building consisting of one larger room or two smaller rooms, and even then it would be empty of furniture and classroom materials.
Other organizations (large and small) are pledging to work with individual schools in various parts of Nepal, but in many cases they have not even been able to put in place the necessary formal/legal approvals, much less has the work been started, and it is uncertain when that can and will happen.

Considering ETC's intensive and ongoing efforts in this broader context makes them all the more remarkable and valuable. We are currently working on quake-resistant (metal-frame) structures at several schools, employing local labor and with our staff providing ongoing supervision and technical support. The first structure ought to be completed in the next few weeks. These completed buildings will serve as valuable models for future building efforts in the area. The Nepal Center of North Carolina has generously supported this work at four specific schools, including Saptamai pictured below. There are dozens more schools in our past and present project areas, that need the same type and level of support.

We also continue to provide classroom materials and furniture as needed - see the photo below, of a set of desks and benches that had been carried up the hill to a school from the nearest road by a group of students. ETC provides complete desk/bench sets, whereas at some schools there are piles of currently unusable contributed desk/bench frames: for now, the villagers do not have spare boards and cannot cut new boards to make the frames usable. This is a prime example of how ETC's close relationships with school personnel and consistent presence in the communities makes our work so effective, even down to this level of detail. We take the time to determine what is really needed and useful!

Your interest in and support of our work has made this possible. Thank you so much.

Temp. classroom, Bhagwati Lower Secondary School

ETC-supplied desks for a primary school

Construction underway at Saptamai Primary School

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Jan 11, 2016
As you can see...

By Lisa Lyons | U.S. Director

Guranse students enjoying ETC-supplied chess set

...we did NOT retire this "Better Schools in Rural Nepal" project in late 2015 after all!

You may remember that in my last report, sent out in mid-October, I stated that we were planning to do so because of the similarities in purpose between our two current GlobalGiving projects: this one and the one entitled "Earthquake Relief: Rebuilding Schools in Nepal."

A week or two after I sent out that report to all of you, I was informed of a lovely surprise. GlobalGiving had chosen "Better Schools in Rural Nepal" as its November featured project for the Project of the Month Club. This is a neat way for GlobalGiving supporters who wish to make recurring monthly gifts but aren't sure how to choose from among the worthy recipients to benefit a new project every month. ETC is very grateful to have been selected. You can read Kevin Conroy's report by clicking here (scroll down a bit to the November 2015 update heading).

Since I had not applied for this honor, I was very pleasantly surprised indeed, and of course I wondered how we had come to be chosen. I was told that GlobalGiving selects "exemplary, high impact projects....Our in-the field travelers, Chris and Rachel had incredible things to say about their site visit to ETC in Nepal! The work ETC is doing for communities in Nepal is outstanding and we wanted to highlight this for the Project of the Month Club supporters." Chris and Rachel are two GlobalGiving volunteers who went to see ETC's work and meet our staff back in September. We are very grateful for their positive report.

Of course, the work goes on. ETC continues to support 30 schools in three VDCs ("counties") of Dolakha District, one of the hardest-hit regions. We are also supporting many schools in villages where we have worked before, all of which are located in the earthquake-affected districts. In addition to providing construction materials (especially galvanized metal sheets for roofing), we have provided hundreds of sets of desks, benches, and other furniture. We also continue to provide classroom and recreational materials at all the schools. These include but are not limited to:

White boards and markers
Number and alphabet puzzles
First aid kits
Pens, paper, and other stationery products
Balls, badminton sets, chess sets, cricket balls and bats, and other recreational materials

It is wonderful to see the continued commitment to education among Nepali villagers, even in the face of such hardships as losing their homes and working with limited resources to rebuild their livelihoods. As always, we thank you very much for supporting our important work with children and schools. You have made, and continue to make, a real difference in ensuring better futures for thousands of Nepali children!

Guranse students skipping rope at lunch break

Saptamai students with ETC-provided desks/supplies

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