Rebuild School for 479 Nepalese Children

We are happy to report that we have begun construction on the first new building at Shree Mahendra Leela Higher Secondary School in Harmi, Gorkha! We could not have done this without your generous support. Your donations are helping to rebuild the lives of the 479 children who lost their school.

This first building will contain four rooms, with a cost of around $10,000. We have already sent $5,000 to the school, and hope to send another $5,000 to complete the construction, which has been delayed by both the monsoon and recent political instability. The main obstacles we have encountered are the strikes in the area and the roads, which have been rendered impassable due to rain and landslides. However, we are still looking to complete the construction of the first building by the end of September. The building materials (trusses, shutters, etc.) are ready, and we will ship them as soon as the roads are passable and strikes are called off. The good news is that the construction can be completed quickly once all the materials arrive, due to the metal structure used in the building design.

In the meantime, the local residents are very excited about the construction of this first new building. Especially because this school represents their best hope for improving their lives, as many of the students are from minority ethnic groups and other economically disadvantaged communities. We recently spoke with some of the students and community members about the construction of the school, and would like to share the words of one student we talked to:

Maya BK (grade 4 student) recalls: “The earthquake was a nightmare for me. I was sitting near the school grounds playing with friends when I noticed the movement of the ground beneath me. Everybody started running, but I froze, I didn’t know what was happening and my heart started pounding when the school building fell down. I was so scared that I started screaming. Since the earthquake, we have been studying in huts and tents, but now PSD is rebuilding classrooms for us, which we really appreciate. From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank all the contributors who are helping rebuild our school. I pray for all of your good health and prosperity”.

Once again, we at PSD would like to thank all those who have donated to the project.  Your support has taken us this far, and with your help, we will complete the construction and make the new school a reality!