SHREE BISHNU MADHYAMIK VIDHYALAYA
Rebuilding a secondary school in Gairimudi (Dolakha)
Following April 2015 devastating earthquake, Garuda Nepal a local NGO undertook the rebuilding of 3 primary schools in Dhalit, fishermen and low cast villages in Kavre-Palanchok area. Today these projects are almost completed.
The Gairimudi Project :
In the mean time, we undertook the rebuilding the secondary school of Gairimudi, a Tamang village 25 km from Manthali (Dolakha).
A Belgian NGO gave us the initial funds to start the project – 13 classes, 230 students from kindergarten to grade 12.
Young volunteers from the French NGO Rock’n Wood spent 5 months from January to May 2017, building foundations, retaining walls and school walls in local stones. Today a new batch of 3 volunteers just arrived – carpenter, mason and architect – ready to build the roof. This roof will have a bamboo structure covered by slates, both materials locally available.
Objectives:
- To finish the roof and equipment of the Gairimudi School in Dolakha
- To train teachers to provide quality education to 230 students of the village making sure that students will not have to go to Charikhot or Kathmandu for education.
- To train local workers in anti-seismic building techniques and to give them a diploma at the end which they could use to find skilled jobs locally.
- To propose this building prototype to the Nepali Government as a way to rebuild schools or local buildings with locally available material.
- To give back life and pride to a village with a brand new school thus hoping to reduce the drift of local population towards big cities.
- To give children of this remote area access locally to quality education, especially girls who might not go to far-away and costly schools.
- Giving the community an anti-seismic shelter and a place for local NGOs to meet such as women groups for example.
Human and technical resources
- Garuda Nepal is a local NGO: all members are working at Base Camp Trekking, a trekking agency owned and managed by Jerome Edou. The agency supports the NGO and its projects with free office facilities, transports (jeeps), etc. which reduces running costs.
- Garuda Nepal emergency relief operations and schools rebuilding projects were founded by various NGOs from Switzerland, France, Ireland and Belgium (see below)
- Jerome Edou a Franco-Swiss national who live in Nepal since 30 years is the senior adviser and coordinator of Garuda Nepal projects.
- Garuda Nepal president is Mr Shivaram Shrestha and our field coordinator is Subash Thapalyia who share his time between government offices and the field.
- 3 French volunteers – carpenter, mason and architect are committed to stay in the village as long as necessary to complete the school.
- The school committee led by the school principal Ramesh Shrestha is totally dedicated to the rebuilding which makes the logistic, human management and relation with local administration, education department, etc., smooth and easy.
Financial resources
The 2016 closing of the India-Nepal border had a huge impact on all financial previsions with an immediate increase of all building materials.
Furthermore, the necessity to build of huge retaining walls which was not taken into account in the first draft, was a second cause from the budget increase which resulted in much higher worker wages.
So far we have spend 10 850 000 Nrps (+/- 90 000 €) (see attached)
To complete the roof and refurbish school equipment and material we expect expenses of about 5 700 000 Nrps (45 000 €).
All funds are transferred to the school committee account against bills, which are controlled locally by the foreigner volunteers (number of workers, amount of cement, transports, etc.) This dual control has been quite efficient during the spring campaign.
With financial support, we expect to complete the school at the latest in March 2018 for the new school year.
Sub: Financial details of incurred expenses and projected expenses
PROJECT I:
GAIRIMUDI SCHOOL RE-CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
SHREE BISHNU MADHYAMIK VIDHYALAYA
GAIRIMUDI-DOLAKHA, NEPAL
PROJECT II:
KAVRE SCHOOL RE-CONSTRUCTION PROJECT
KAVRE, NEPAL
Balance for remaining 3 schools in Kavre
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Prepared by
Seema Thapa Magar
Treasurer
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Approved by
Shiva Ram Shrestha
President
Garuda Nepal rebuilding projects were founded by :
- Garuda – Enfants de Katmandou – France
- Fondation Parvati – Ecoliers du monde – Belgium
- Fondation Audrey Jacobs – Switzerland
- Ganesha Association – Switzerland
- Nepal Now – Ireland All volunteers are from Rock ‘n Wood – France