Sarsyu Secondary School Library
This library project is complete and awesome! Located in beautiful Sarsyu village in the Himalayan foothills. The library has proofed its worth many times over since it was completed in November 2018.
SARSYU SCHOOL LIBRARY
RASUWA DISTRICT
A LITTLE BACKGROUND:
Sarsyu village sits nestled in the foothills beneath the mighty Himalaya. It is found after about a six hour drive north of Kathmandu at an altitude of 1600m in the Rasuwa district. This area is beneath the incredible Langtang mountain range and has a temperate climate with a heavy monsoon period.
The village has a population size of about 700. The majority of the people are of the Tamang Bhuddist caste and a small amount are of the Dalit caste (untouchable caste). The people of Sarsyu are subsistence farmers growing rice, millet and corn. Approximately 5% work in the tourism industry mostly as porters for trekking groups in the Langtang region. The area has a health clinic and access to the nearest hospital is by local bus or taxi which involves a 3-hour trip.
During the devastating earthquakes of 2015 tragically 10 people lost their lives and almost 90% of homes were destroyed. For many weeks the villagers lived in makeshift shelters made from tarpaulins and whatever they could salvage. The government provided roughly $3000USD assistance to this village.
Sarsyu school has about 600 students and 15 teachers (13 are paid by the government and 2 by village donations). There are 11 classrooms of which 9 were destroyed in the earthquakes. Three classrooms have been rebuilt by foreign NGOs (Non Goverment Organisation) and the rest was rebuilt by local donations and voluntary labour. After visiting the school in 2017 the Active Hearts team decided this was to be the principal library project of 2018.
The goal was to raise $9000 NZD to refit a classroom as a library
Once Active Hearts raised the required amount through donations from our very generous supporters (YOU!) we transformed a current classroom into a beautiful and safe learning environment for the children. As always, we employ local stone masons and builders for the job to help stimulate the local economy. They built the book shelving, tables, chairs, librarians’ desk, walled partitions, paint the walls, install curtains, carpet and electrical wiring. We provided mats for sitting, desktops for computer studies and approximately 800 curriculum related books, which were chosen by the teachers and purchased wholesale by us in Kathmandu. Once completed we trained and employed a full time librarian to maintain the library to a high standard for the children.
The grand opening ceremony was Friday Nov 2th 2018
A team of Active Hearts members trekked through the foothills to be a part of this special opening day program.
It was very exciting times!
We feel very privileged to help this incredible area and the beautiful children that call it home.
Thank you to all those who donated to the Sarsyu Library project.
Namaste from the Active Hearts family x
