|
Written by: Ashley Mathews This time last year we were in the midst of rebuilding a Nepali school that had been destroyed in the 2015 earthquake. Our partnered school in Kliyu became unrecognizable, with a fallen building and large boulder rocks piled high where there used to be an outdoor play area. With the generous help of MyTefl, we raised funds to finish building a multi - purpose hall used by both the local community and students alike. It's been a blessing over the past three months to partner with the headmaster's to use the schools as the host site for food and hygiene kit distributions for students. With understandable travel restrictions during the pandemic, certain food items have been limited for remote regions in Nepal. It’s also been difficult for our student’s families to find work which has affected their regular income during the pandemic. While we recognize that our efforts are a single, small action in the larger scope of the difficulties Nepali communities are currently facing, we hope that the meals will give families the space they need to continue focusing on maintaining their livelihood during the global pandemic. Our operations director, Sarala Shrestha coordinated with a vendor in Pokhara and Nayapol, near the beginning of the Poon Hill trek in order to transport food and hygiene supplies up to the mountain schools. We also hired donkeys to transport the goods to the village of Chrommong, a mere two days from Annapurna Base Camp. So far we've donated kits to 181 families which includes the following: Trek to Teach Kits Rice- 15kg Sugar - 1kg Lentils - 2 kg Potato- 2.5kg Onion - 1kg Salt- 1pac.of half kg Beaten rice - 2kg Soyabeans - 2kg Oil-1ltr Soap - 1pcs Toothbrush - 4pk Toothpaste - 1pk
2 Comments
Updated 5/31/20 Food security was an issue in Nepal before the Coronavirus outbreak. Now, the impact of COVID-19 has halted the harvesting season and will escalate the need for food quickly. With schools being closed, our focus at Trek to Teach has shifted, once again. Five years ago Nepal was struck with a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that shattered road access to remote regions, making it impossible for food and medical supplies to get distributed. The country has been on national lockdown since March 24th, and we are feeling a sense of Deja Vu with all movement on the roads, by vehicle and on foot, strictly prohibited with very limited exceptions.
By: Ashley Mathews The clouds were gray but the weather couldn’t hide the students excitement for the opening of their new multi purpose school building. Manish Chaudhry, the leader of the Kliyu rebuilding project, traveled to Kliyu on his eleventh, eight hour bus ride from Kathmandu to Pokhara to wrap up the final touches of the building before the ribbon cutting ceremony.  By: Emily Packer  Although the rains came late, the monsoon season in Nepal was particularly long this year as it started in the beginning of July and continued through the middle of September. During this time, Trek to Teach forged on with the Kliyu school project by forming the construction committee, which then began selecting laborers and getting quotes about materials from suppliers. To participate in these meetings and decisions, there were many long bus trips along thin, rain-soaked highways from Kathmandu to Pokhara. Once in Pokhara, the trip to Kliyu consisted of wet mountain roads and efforts to push the images of imminent landslides out of mind. We were in the thick of it and we weren’t giving up.
By: Ashley Mathews
On April 25th, 2019, the earth once again moved under Nepal. A sense of déjà vu rippled through Kathmandu Valley in the form of three large tremors, reminding the country of the panic experienced four years prior. Unlike the earthquake in 2015, which caused “approximately 9,000 deaths, 23,000 injuries, and the destruction of 600,000 family homes,” this year’s quake caused no major structural damages, although likely left remnants of fear.
|
