May 2, 2016
Nepal
It's been a year since Nepal was hit by a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake. There were more than 9,000 people were killed and 22,000 injured during this disaster. Additionally, infrastructure, medical centres, 7,000 houses and 7,000 schools were damaged. The Sindhupalchok District was one of the worst affected areas; up to 95% buildings, including 89% of classrooms were destroyed.
Immediately after the disaster, Caritas Switzerland, together with another NGO, HELVETAS, began to help in the damaged areas by constructing 40 temporary educational centres. In March of this year, they laid the foundations of the first five new schools, all of which methealth and safety standards. The plan is to construct a total of 31 new schools. These schools will grant more than 6,000 children access to education by the end of 2018.
Caritas Czech Republic will contribute 9 250 000 CZK which comes from public donations and from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic funds.
Each new school will contain a large indoor classroom, staff room, storage room, functional water supply system and toilet facilities for boys and girls. All materials follow the requirements of sustainability and come from a local area. Building projects have been designed to take into account the conditions in each area. The building plan drawings have considered the necessity to adapt the buildings to climate changes and the importance of appropriate insulation. The estimated life of these buildings is 30 to 50 years.
Caritas Switzerland works in partnership with the Government of Nepal, the Ministry of Education, the management team of each school and with local residents.
Further information can be found here.
