We moved on to Shree Janachhana Basic School, a school that stands out against all the others we have supported, as its staff and school management committee is made up entirely of women, headed by their energetic head teacher, Mrs Sita Ghising. This is something very rarely seen here in Nepal, which is run very much on a patriarchal basis.
This school was a late addition to the plan after the previously chosen one fell through due to a last-minute decision to close it because of low student numbers and the availably of other schools in the near vicinity. They did an amazing job to not only get it build so quickly, but also finished to a high standard, all guided and urged on by their never flagging head teacher.
Upon arriving at the school, you would have been forgiven for thinking a wedding was taking place, as there was a brightly coloured tent for shade and the new building was decorated with bunting and balloons in honour of the ceremony. Despite the school having asked parents and community members not to attend because of the escalating Covid situation, we were met by a sea of smiling faces, young and old, as everyone involved wanted to be a part of this joyous occasion.
The ceremony kicked off with everyone singing the National Anthem and the raising of the Nepali flag outside the new building. The children danced beautifully for us as part of their welcome and once again speeches were made and thankyous given. As recognition for all our hard work and support of the education sector within his municipality, the Mayor kindly presented us and our local partner, Collective Concern Society with framed letters of appreciation. He and the head teacher also requested that sometime in the future, we support 2 more classrooms to complete the school so they can become a model of excellence in primary education. To the school he promised to provide and fund a qualified teacher.
The head teacher, Mrs Sita Ghising, requested that we revisit the school once it is safe to do so, to see the progress the children are making in their new environment and most probably to sweet talk us into committing to the extra classrooms. As the school is situated on a large plot of land, she explained that she had started a pineapple plantation to help support the schools funding requirements, which is a fantastic initiative.
We finally waved our last goodbye just after 4.30pm for the long, windy journey home, with the hope of being back in Kathmandu around 9pm. As with many journeys here in Nepal and particularly ours, that didn’t go quite to plan! Unlike our last handover trip to Sindhuli where we were plagued by rain and thick fog on our homeward journey, this time it was forest fires on the slopes above the road, causing smoke and dry landslides, some big enough to temporarily block the road. We eventually rolled into the city at about 11pm, more than ready for bed.
For now, these two schools are the last two we plan to rebuild as part of our Earthquake Repair or Rebuild Programme. Six years and 12 schools later, we feel it is time to transition into a new project and are now in the process of gaining the necessary permission to provide rural government schools with sanitary support through the implementation of a water, sanitation and health (WASH) programme, as safe water, toilets and hygiene keep children alive and healthy and girls in education longer – something of paramount importance at all levels.
A Himalayan thank you to everyone involved with this project. To Hari Bhusal our Programme Manager and Navaraj Pahadi of Collective Concern Society Nepal, our local partner in Sindhuli, without whom these rebuild projects would be nigh on impossible. Head Teacher Mrs Sita Ghising, the School Management Committee members, teachers and parents who all pulled together in support of the project to help get it finished in double quick time and under very difficult circumstances. Khadga Bahadur Khatri, the Mayor of Kamalamai Municipality for making time to join us at the opening ceremony and for his promise of much needed ongoing support. But most of all we wish to thank the Wishner Family, collectively known as the Wishner5 and their supporters for funding this their 12th classroom rebuild.
25 new classrooms at 12 different schools across 4 different districts, impacting nearly 2,500 children and in excess of 100 teachers over the last 6 years, is a truly amazing legacy, one that will continue to touch the lives of many children and teachers for years to come.
Thank you everyone who has been involved in this long and at times difficult journey of creating strong, safe, weatherproof learning environments for communities no one else was interested in helping.