Bhawani School Windows and Doors
‘After a tour of the school and spending time with the children in the classrooms it became obvious how the Active Hearts Foundation should assist… we should fund the missing classroom doors and windows!’
In the Himalayan foothills of Nuwakot district is beautiful Kakani village. Located 1.5hrs drive north of Kathmandu city this community is blessed with incredible vistas of Ganesh Himal and the Manaslu mountain range.
During October 2018, Active Hearts Foundation members Dan, Kelsey, Rajan, and Anslu travelled by jeep to visit the Bhawani Higher Secondary School est: 1959. Active Hearts is blessed to have so many dedicated Nepalese working on the front line of our projects to ensure all cultural, social, economic, and logistical considerations are taken into account. This is where the extremely connected Rajan Simkhada comes into play.
Dan Keys, Principal Mr. Shankar, Rajan Simkhara and a Bhawani School teacher
It was Rajan’s connections to the area that brought us here as he knows the people, the community, and their struggles.
The principal Mr. Shankar Prasad Lohani took us for a tour of the school which was badly damaged during the 2015 earthquakes. Of the 26 classrooms, 16 were damaged as well as the ablutions block.
Read more on Active Hearts Earthquake efforts here
As is common in Nepal, the student to teacher ratio is very high. There are 765 pupils and 21 teachers. Of the 21 teachers, 15 teachers are employed by the government meaning they are provided approx. 1 teacher per 50 students. The salaries of the six other teachers are supported by the Village Development Committee Fund (VDC) which is difficult but necessary. The school also has 3 support staff for admin etc.
Mr. Shankar explained that the earthquake repair funding for the current classrooms ran dry before they could install doors and windows. During the winter months (Dec-Mar) there can be a bitter cold wind blowing through the school grounds and many children end up sick and struggle to attend their lessons.
After a tour of the school and spending time with the children in the classrooms it became obvious how the Active Hearts Foundation should assist… we should install the missing classroom doors and windows!
The cost to install 10 doors and 40 windows was quoted as $4800 NZD
A fundraising campaign began and kind generous folk from around the globe donated to this worthy cause.
We are proud to say that with donations from around the world we COMPLETED this project 7TH MAY 2019!
Thank you to all those that assisted with this project!
Love from the Active Hearts Foundation family
