"Support-A-Child" Help Child Go To School & Study

Immediately after the earthquake, for a month, ECCA focused its resources in relief works. Thereafter, ECCA started focusing on recovery and rehabilitation works. As ECCA has been working through the school system in the past years, now also, ECCA is focusing its post-quake recovery and rehabilitation works through the school system and reaching the adjoining communities.

After the earthquake, as per the government of Nepal announcement, schools re-opened from 31^st May. Since then, in the period of 3 weeks (till 20^th June), ECCA conducted WASH and Life Skill Camps (3-days each) in 17 schools located in Lalitpur, South Lalitpur and Kavre. All of these camps targeted all the students (from class 1 to 10) in the schools, by dividing them into 4 groups (grade 1-3, 4-5, 6-8, 9-10). The ECCA team consisted of 4 to 6 trained counselors (depending upon the no. of school students).

Under WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene), students were briefed on the need to use safe drinking water and various water disinfection methods (with specific reference to use of chlorine solution) so as to prevent the occurrence of water borne diseases (Note: there is high risk of occurrence of such epidemics after natural disasters).

Under the Life skill, focus was on helping students overcome the earthquake trauma through different educational games and activities. It is essential to relieve children’s stress and motivate them to come to school (even if they need to study in make shift sheds / large tents / large tarpaulin). (Note: Due to the damage incurred inside the school and their house, due to many earthquake aftershocks, due to human casualties among their relatives and friends, many students are in a state of shock and are mentally disturbed.)

In addition to the camps, education materials (copy, pencil, erasure, dot pen) were distributed to all the students in those schools. Due to the destruction of their houses, students have lost their books, copies, stationeries (in their house debris), including other materials.

Sabita, student of grade 9 in Goth Bhanjyang Higher Secondary School Dalchoki, South Lalitpur says “The depression that I had due to the damage caused by the earthquake, and the fear that I had when coming to school (which is also partly damaged) is now reduced after attending the camp.” Students who were reluctant to work in group activities in the beginning participated actively in later sessions. The number of students attending the school also increased after the start of the camp.

Coordination was done with the school management, when selecting the schools for the camp. The school teachers were also very supportive and participated in the camp activities. The teachers observed that the students were more active and outgoing as the camp progressed. Due to lack of educational materials, the school conducts very limited extracurricular activities. Thus, the activities taught in the camp were very advantages to the students.

We would like to thank all our supporters and donors for helping us in our initiation of relief and recovery activities after earthquake. Without your help and support, we would not have been able to achieve success in helping the earthquake affected students.