Rebuild Earthquake-Damaged School in Rural Nepal

PROGRESS TIMELINE 

Demolition | April 2019

Demolition of the old, earthquake-damaged building is complete. Measurements were taken in coordination with the Nepal Civil Works and Engineering Office.

Foundations Dug | May 2019

Foundation work for the first three classrooms was completed in May and materials were procured and delivered to the site. Steel rebar classroom frames were erected.

Concrete Poured | May 2019

Brick was laid at the end of May and concrete has been poured. Construction of the first three classrooms will be complete by July.

Hexagonal Classroom | June 2019

Construction of Diyalo's hexagonal classroom has also begun. The foundation is being dug and rod fabrication is ongoing. Estimated completion date is the end of June.

Toilet Construction | July 2019

Construction of the toilets will begin by the last week of June. The toilets will take 2-3 weeks to build. All school construction will be complete by end of July.

We want to extend a special thank you to GlobalGiving Grants for making this project possible through a $10,000 construction grant. Thank you.

For the full report click here - https://mailchi.mp/779b9ae4e180/sewalung-update

Links:

• Sewalung Site Plan
• Engineering Documentation
• Hexagonal Classroom Vision

Join us this #GivingTuesday in providing quality education to hundreds of children. #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and worldwide collaboration for good.

Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season and end-of-year giving.

One of the best ways to support Diyalo on our mission to transform education in Nepal is on #GivingTuesday.

Now that our new classroom design has been approved by the municipal government and construction has begun on four new classrooms, two bathrooms, garden, playground and landscaping in Sewalung, we're working to solidfy support to outfit the rooms with the necessary materials. We need your support to acquire:

• Portable computers
• Desks and benches
• White boards
• Pens and pencils
• More library books
• Student backpacks 

Without your support we would not be able to rebuild this earthquake-damaged school and provide education to these inspiring Nepali children.

Thank you for your steadfast support!

We've made tremendous progress this summer and are thrilled to share some of it with you in our most recent Field Report. 

The full Field Report covers:

• Diyalo's Student Design Workshop
• The status of Diyalo's Sewalung School
• Trials and Tribulations faced in the field
• A standing invitation from the Mayor of Baneshwor for our next school plus site photos
• Engineering and Construction Review

Read the full report here. 

In the coming weeks we'll share a construction report, outlining our plan to finalize the Sewalung Diyalo Primary School. Construction is set to start after monsoon season ends. If all goes according to plan, the project will be complete by the year's end!

Thank you for your invaluable support along this journey to transform education in Nepal - we couldn't do it without you.

Links:

• June 2018 Field Report

• June 2018 Field Report (PDF)
  

We have some exciting news:

First, GlobalGiving has awarded Diyalo a $10,000 grant to execute this project. These funds have been earmarked for construction. Thank you, GlobalGiving, for supporting our efforts to implement earthquake-resilient schools in Nepal. Your generous contribution is core to our success and will amplify our impact.

Second, there has been a change in scheduling. To better serve our community during the upcoming expansion, we're going to be implementing the latest and greatest Diyalo Architecture (more information in the attached newsletter).

Therefore, the Diyalo team is in Nepal over the next two weeks to conduct a participatory design sesssion with project stakeholders. Our objective is to engage community members for feedback on our design and directly integrate their ideas into our plans before construction.

Implications of this change:

1. Sewalung will be receiving the best earthquake-resilient technology we have to offer
2. Construction has been postponed from April to integrate our community's feedback into the new design
3. Thanks to a second grant from the International Foundation for $11,000, Sewalung will also be receiving a full fledged Herbs for Change Cooperative, which will provide an outdoor learning space for students, contribute to the livlihoods of community members, and improve the sustainability of the school 

Once the participatory design session is complete, we will send updates with the community's revisions and photographs of the agora.

Thank you for your ongoing support and shared belief that together we can make the world a better place. You are the reason we are able to provide life-changing primary education to children in Nepal.

Links:

• Diyalo March Newsletter Detailing New Architecture
• Wonderful recent interview with Diyalo co-founder Surya Karki

• New Construction Plan (PDF)
  

Thanks to your steadfast support, we are planning to break ground at Diyalo's Sewalung School on April 1st. The construction will include:

• four new classrooms, comprising a new standalone school building
• two new bathrooms 
• a school garden

The new facilities will ensure our students are learning in a safe, clean and enriched learning environment.

We have been carefully tracking learning outcomes of each students and are excited to announce that our students are progressing at or above the Nepali national average. This is just the beginning. As we continue to improve our pedagogy, facilities, and staff we expect to see these numbers rise. 

We could not have done this without you. Thank you.

Stay tuned for some exciting news in the coming days. 

With grattitude,

Team Diyalo

P.S. If you don't already, please subcribe to our newsletter!