Better Schools in Rural Nepal!

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.

Links:

• A recent newspaper article about ETC's work with women in Nepal
• ETC's Facebook page
• ETC's website with photos and latest annual report