SLIDESHOW of temporary outdoor classrooms.
Over 8000 schools were destroyed but the structure of St.Joseph's was spared. The Government closed all schools until inspected by engineers. Over 4000 continual aftershocks and the concerns of the safety for the children from both parents and teachers led us to build these temporary classrooms on the playground.
Below are a series of video clips building temporary classrooms. This has united the village of Goldhunga and giving the school and its founders a name saying " these Christians are different"
How the shelters are built via YouTube
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The Principal of St. Joseph's wrote me saying..... Sun, 28 Jun 2015 Hope and pray that everything is fine with you and family.... Our bible class students increased this year,,,, some of the villagers had also come.... School is going on and the routine is also made and classes are also going on smooth now... we still get some aftershocks but the students feel safe and are not scared now...Love and Prayer 19 Jun 2015 10:27:50 PM CST saint Joseph saint Joseph kathmandu <[email protected]> wrote: The most important exam in Nepal is SLC (school leaving certificate ) taken by the government of Nepal. As you know that the student goes to other school to give their exam and it is all decided by the education Ministry..their center and even the questions are prepared by the education Ministry. KATHMANDU, JUN 19 - The Office of the Controller of Examinations (OCE) has published the results of School Leaving Certificate (SLC) examination on Friday. The pass percentage for this year’s SLC is 47.43 percent. According to the results published by the OCE, 192,267 students of the 405,338 students have passed this year’s SLC examinations. Amongst the ones who have passed the exams this year, 21,247 have secured distinction while 90,176 have passed in the first division. All our fifteen students passed in first division and distinction.. This was our fifth batch .... so far our result is 100% passed and all in either first division and distinction.... Thank you once again... Love and Prayers... Fri, 05 Jun 2015 saint Joseph saint Josephkathmandu<[email protected]> wrote: Thank you so much for all your prayers,, love and support.. We are very sorry to answer you late ,,, we were so exhausted ,,and by the time we reached home it's dark ,,the school started yesterday,,, Thank you so much once again,.... the children are very happy with their class rooms..,,, Even the villagers were telling these Christians are different..now they accept us as Christians. (the majority of the population here are Hindus and some Buddhists). On Sat, May 30, 2015 at 11:40 PM, saint Joseph saint Joseph kathmandu <[email protected]>wrote: The villagers are very impressed with the temporary classrooms ,,some of the parents were telling us they feel more secure at the school than their homes... as we still get aftershocks two to four every day... I photocopied the picture of the building and distributed to the villagers to encourage their children to attend school,,, We spoke to many parents and they were positive about we taking time to do a good job,,, they saw us working and were telling us you should have called us,,,We are enjoying helping,, even our students said the same ,,,, by the way you see people carrying the bricks on their back? It looks huge and heavy but the weight is amazingly balanced and it is heavy but not as much as it looks ...,,please let us know about you and your family...Hope and pray to hear soon from you...Love and Prayers On Sat, May 30, 2015 at 3:36 AM, saint Joseph saint Joseph kathmandu <[email protected]> wrote: ....we received a certificate from the Nepali Government engineers stating that our school building is safe ,,,, we got green sticker that means we could run the school in the school building itself, which was a miracle because 90 percent of the village was damaged but not the school. Everyone in the village is talking about that, saying it is a miracle of God. But the problem is if there are aftershocks the children might run and have accidents .....So the parents are not only happy but very pleased ...with our temporary classrooms. It will take time for everyone faith and confidence to return to where the village and children can return to a n normal school routine. On Fri, May 29, 2015 at 11:26 PM, saint Joseph saint Joseph kathmandu <[email protected]> wrote: ,,Our construction work is almost finished (80%).....We could fit only 12 classrooms.. on the school playground... we have requested the nearby land for rent for one class room and even some of the parents said that they will talk to the owner about it... People in our village are very happy and they were telling now we feel more secure when our children are in school. I showed them the picture of the building. Our students were very helpful they were with us all day... and helped us in so many ways... Many students could not come because they were helping their parents to rebuild their houses... We have also attached the details of the expense.. and some pictures of constructions ....Love and Prayers.. |
BBC World News : Nepal quake: Schools in affected areas start to re-openMay 31 2015 --Thousands of schools damaged during April's devastating earthquake in Nepal have begun to re-open. More
than 25,000 classrooms in some 8,000 schools were destroyed in the 7.8
magnitude quake and its aftershocks, and more than 8,000 people died. Many have only been rebuilt on a temporary basis using materials such as bamboo, wood and tarpaulin. Classes will initially focus on group activities to help children recover from the trauma of the disaster.
Earlier this week, the United Nations said that one month on from the quake, the world needed to provide more food and shelter for those left homeless. Meanwhile, the Nepalese government - which has been criticised for being slow to respond - has called for more direct aid funding. The government closed all schools in the Kathmandu region for the month of May, amid continuing aftershocks in the aftermath of the 25 April tremor. Many schools are being housed in temporary shelters built of bamboo and tarpaulins On Sunday, many pupils walked to school past destroyed buildings. Hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless, and many are still struggling to rebuild their lives. In the worst-hit districts of Gorkha, Sindhupalchok and Nuwakot, it is estimated that more than 90% of schools were destroyed. In all, the government is planning to open 15,000 temporary learning centres, according to the Asian Development Bank. Education ministry official Lavadeo Awasthi told the Times of India newspaper that the temporary classroom structures "will have to do for the next two years, in which time the buildings should be restored". Many children will be attending lessons in classrooms built on school playing fields or in buildings marked "safe" after inspections. School days will be short and focus on game playing and cultural activities. The United Nations has distributed educational kits which include puzzles and picture books aimed at having an impact on children's psychology. "The children are very happy here to engage themselves with different kinds of playing materials," said Unicef early childhood development specialist, Shiva Bhusal. But many parents are still concerned about their children's safety. "Aftershocks are still continuing. It is difficult not to be nervous about sending the children back to school again," Mina Shrestha, mother of eight-year-old pupil Sahaj, told AFP news agency. "But the teachers have assured us that it is safe here, and at least his mind will be fresh if he meets his friends and studies," she added. However, a number of schools remain closed. "It is impossible for me to re-open right now," Lila Nanda Upadhyay, head teacher of Kathmandu's Rupak Memorial International School, was quoted as saying by AFP. According to Unicef, Nepal's high-school dropout rate was already a major concern before the earthquake. About 1.2 million Nepalese children between the ages 5 and 16 have either never attended school or have dropped out. |
Shaking Up the Status Quo in Nepal
By Blair Glencorse And Sujeev Shakya, NY Times, June 1, 2015
“Ke garne?” an old lady said to us, tears pouring down her cheeks, as we visited her earthquake-battered village in the Dhading district of Nepal last month: “What to do?” With a history of repeated crises–political, economic and natural–it has become the Nepali way to shrug one’s shoulders and hope for the best.
Sadly, people have been hoping for a long time: even before the earthquakes, Nepal was one of the poorest, most corrupt and least equal countries in the world. Now, despite the recent destruction and suffering, Nepal has a real opportunity not only to re-build broken lives and shattered infrastructure but also to begin the process of creating a new, more inclusive and accountable society.
Since the end of the civil war in 2006, Nepalis have found it impossible to come together around a shared vision for the country, with the failure to agree on a new Constitution leading to continual strikes and violence. But the earthquakes have generated an unprecedented sense of collective responsibility for the future.
Nepal’s youth in particular have shown themselves to be incredibly creative, collaborative and altruistic. The Yellow House and the Association of Youth Organizations of Nepal for example, have mobilized thousands of volunteers to self-finance and distribute aid to even the most remote districts. A young engineer called Bipin Gaire set up Bhukampa, a network of more than 350 engineers who are assessing damaged buildings on a pro-bono basis.
Groups organized by Nepal Rises are monitoring social media to identify gaps in the response and sending supplies including tents and food to disaster-hit areas. Talented social entrepreneurs at Abari (the Adobe and Bamboo Research Institute, which reuses traditional materials in contemporary construction practices) and the Himalayan Climate Initiative (a youth-driven group that promotes clean energy) are collaborating with villagers to build earthquake resistant, light-weight houses using locally sourced materials. The list goes on and on.
The walls of social status have crumbled as those with water, toilets and electricity have shared with others in need; and new relationships are emerging across economic and caste lines. In the community of Dhapasi, for example, we saw a displaced Brahmin family sharing a tent and cooking with their Dalit–or “untouchable”–neighbors. This would have been unthinkable in the past.
In the Patan district close to Kathmandu, a group of entrepreneurs from Smart Paani (a company that designs water-management systems) adapted their off-grid power systems to create a cellphone and laptop charging center, which was used largely by the poor in the days after the first earthquake.
This is not to suggest that Nepali society has suddenly been transformed, but there is a volunteerism, community spirit and social consciousness that is new and very different from before.
The Nepali people are also demanding to know how aid is being distributed and funds are being spent in their name. Organizations like Bibeksheel Nepali and Quake Relief Updates are setting the tone by publishing all of their donations and expenses online in real time. Websites have popped up to consolidate information on relief efforts, map calls for assistance and document aid flows coming into the country.
In rural areas, where elections have not been held for almost two decades, communities are finding their own ways to build accountability. In the town of Sankhu, for example, 15 miles east of Kathmandu, we discovered that citizens have formed a neutral Disaster Relief Committee to act as a bulwark against political influence and direct relief supplies fairly.
Accountability Lab and Local Interventions Group have been setting up mobile citizen help desks to help people fix problems and ensure transparency of aid efforts at the local level–and hundreds of young volunteers are signing up to help. During previous crises, like the massacre of the royal family in June 2001, it was the government in Nepal that dictated flows of information, which prevented citizens from asking questions of those in power. Now, social media is allowing Nepalis to push the government towards transparency.
Over time, this movement towards transparency could become normalized and provide a basis for more open and equal policymaking. Throughout its recent history–from the establishment of democracy in 1990 to the abolition of the monarchy in 2008–change has come suddenly in Nepal when its people have seized responsibility for their own fate. The recent earthquakes represent another extraordinary chance for Nepalis to collectively forge a future based on national unity, shared responsibility, and accountability of those in power. They must take it.
“Ke garne?” an old lady said to us, tears pouring down her cheeks, as we visited her earthquake-battered village in the Dhading district of Nepal last month: “What to do?” With a history of repeated crises–political, economic and natural–it has become the Nepali way to shrug one’s shoulders and hope for the best.
Sadly, people have been hoping for a long time: even before the earthquakes, Nepal was one of the poorest, most corrupt and least equal countries in the world. Now, despite the recent destruction and suffering, Nepal has a real opportunity not only to re-build broken lives and shattered infrastructure but also to begin the process of creating a new, more inclusive and accountable society.
Since the end of the civil war in 2006, Nepalis have found it impossible to come together around a shared vision for the country, with the failure to agree on a new Constitution leading to continual strikes and violence. But the earthquakes have generated an unprecedented sense of collective responsibility for the future.
Nepal’s youth in particular have shown themselves to be incredibly creative, collaborative and altruistic. The Yellow House and the Association of Youth Organizations of Nepal for example, have mobilized thousands of volunteers to self-finance and distribute aid to even the most remote districts. A young engineer called Bipin Gaire set up Bhukampa, a network of more than 350 engineers who are assessing damaged buildings on a pro-bono basis.
Groups organized by Nepal Rises are monitoring social media to identify gaps in the response and sending supplies including tents and food to disaster-hit areas. Talented social entrepreneurs at Abari (the Adobe and Bamboo Research Institute, which reuses traditional materials in contemporary construction practices) and the Himalayan Climate Initiative (a youth-driven group that promotes clean energy) are collaborating with villagers to build earthquake resistant, light-weight houses using locally sourced materials. The list goes on and on.
The walls of social status have crumbled as those with water, toilets and electricity have shared with others in need; and new relationships are emerging across economic and caste lines. In the community of Dhapasi, for example, we saw a displaced Brahmin family sharing a tent and cooking with their Dalit–or “untouchable”–neighbors. This would have been unthinkable in the past.
In the Patan district close to Kathmandu, a group of entrepreneurs from Smart Paani (a company that designs water-management systems) adapted their off-grid power systems to create a cellphone and laptop charging center, which was used largely by the poor in the days after the first earthquake.
This is not to suggest that Nepali society has suddenly been transformed, but there is a volunteerism, community spirit and social consciousness that is new and very different from before.
The Nepali people are also demanding to know how aid is being distributed and funds are being spent in their name. Organizations like Bibeksheel Nepali and Quake Relief Updates are setting the tone by publishing all of their donations and expenses online in real time. Websites have popped up to consolidate information on relief efforts, map calls for assistance and document aid flows coming into the country.
In rural areas, where elections have not been held for almost two decades, communities are finding their own ways to build accountability. In the town of Sankhu, for example, 15 miles east of Kathmandu, we discovered that citizens have formed a neutral Disaster Relief Committee to act as a bulwark against political influence and direct relief supplies fairly.
Accountability Lab and Local Interventions Group have been setting up mobile citizen help desks to help people fix problems and ensure transparency of aid efforts at the local level–and hundreds of young volunteers are signing up to help. During previous crises, like the massacre of the royal family in June 2001, it was the government in Nepal that dictated flows of information, which prevented citizens from asking questions of those in power. Now, social media is allowing Nepalis to push the government towards transparency.
Over time, this movement towards transparency could become normalized and provide a basis for more open and equal policymaking. Throughout its recent history–from the establishment of democracy in 1990 to the abolition of the monarchy in 2008–change has come suddenly in Nepal when its people have seized responsibility for their own fate. The recent earthquakes represent another extraordinary chance for Nepalis to collectively forge a future based on national unity, shared responsibility, and accountability of those in power. They must take it.