While Saroj and his team were rebuilding classrooms in Syangja District in the west of Nepal, a second team, headed by Krishna Rai and Parker Webb were at the opposite end of the country, rebuilding a small primary school in Tallo Skiri, a village near Jiri, in the very hard hit eastern Dolakha region.
While distributing relief materials in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake to the same village, the head master of the primary school asked if we would return to help them rebuild their school and get their kids back into full time education – a request we were unable to ignore.
Originally built back in 1988 and educating 55 kids from the local villages, the community had already earmarked it for an upgrade and so had recently built a new building. Sadly, what the 25th April earthquake didn’t damage the May 12th one did, leaving both buildings structurally unsafe and unfit for use.
After the long journey there, Krishna and Parker spent 4 days working with the locals to not only build semi permanent classrooms for the school but to repair the toilets that were also damaged.
Rubble was pulled down and cleared; the existing frame was used to attach the new tin walls and roof to make 4 classrooms; new ceramic toilet pans were put in place and cubicles made from yet more tin sheets.
Pulling down the broken walls
Krishna installing a window frame
The structure is coming together
The final panel being fixed in place
The new Tallo Sikri school
By the time we left, everything was all but done, just a few finishing jobs to be completed by the highly efficient and skilled local crew.
The new school toilets
Putting in the plumbing for the new toilet pan
A finished toilet
The kindness and generosity extended to our team during their stay was both heartwarming and humbling. Despite having lost so much and being left with so little, they opened their makeshift homes to Krishna and Parker and fed them as if they were royalty. Smiles never left their faces and they willingly and gratefully helped raise their school from the ruins.
Thank you to HQ staff member Krishna Rai for leading this project, supported by Parker Web. A big thank you also to all our donors who are supporting us in our work especially Shanka and Christina Kadkha and their donors in Switzerland for providing the funding for this school rebuild.
One Comment
Fantastic work your team continues to do. It is so important for the children to have a safe place to learn.
Thank you for all you do!