Attariya, Kailali
SHREE SUDUR PACHIM INCLUSIVE SCHOOL

Shree Sudur Pachim Integration School (Supa- School for short) is a boarding school for children with disabilities in Attariya, Nepal. Conceived by the original operator (a local teacher with physical disabilities) in 2010 for a maximum of 20 children, it was soon bursting at the seams. The two dormitories, which were also used for recreation and eating, were overcrowded, with up to six children sharing a bed. Financial resources for food were scarce; there were two meals a day, consisting of lentil soup and rice. A total of 17 of the children had walking disabilities; they shared two old wheelchairs and otherwise had to crawl on the ground. Sanitary, hygienic facilities were nonexistent. The toilet was a hole in the floor to which the children had to crawl partly through the dirt. The shower was replaced by a tap behind the school building, most of the children could not wash without help and were covered with dirt. Although the school claimed to be an inclusive school, there was no infrastructure and equipment that could have made a real inclusive character possible.

Our partner, Chay Ya Nepal (CYN), became aware of the school in 2015 and after a joint visit with representatives of Nepalese and European associations, we began implementing new measures the following year, 2016, to expand the project in the long term.

At that time, most of the children suffered from diarrhea, because cooking was done on an open fire on the floor, and only a few plates were available – if one child got sick, the other children immediately caught the disease, because they had to eat from the same plate. As a first measure, we built a kitchen house with a sink and a water tank, bought enough wheelchairs, eating utensils, toys and hygiene products for all the children and hired a nurse to keep the school, the children and their clothes clean. We quickly realized that the next step must be to ensure healthy nutrition. Our main focus was on the construction of sanitary facilities as well as the expansion of the dormitories, a school garden that contributes to the healthy nutrition of the children, and a physiotherapeutic playground.

Today, 60 children live in the Supa- School and are cared for by five teachers and three other employees (nurse, gardener, office assistant) in various areas. The children and young people are between five and 15 years old and all have one or more forms of physical disability. In addition to academics, the School Management Committee ensures that the children learn practical skills (e.g. sewing, gardening, embroidery) to increase their chances of earning their own income in the future.

Meanwhile, children with and without physical disabilities learn together in the Supa- School, which strengthens the awareness of all involved. After completing the five basic grades, they attend the secondary school in the village together, whereby the children living with a disability can continue living in the Supa- Boarding School. Due to its success, the project is well known, so that other communities have already asked Chay Ya for cooperation in order to multiply the project.

Chronological overview

2015: Initial project visit, evaluation, discussions with community, government and School Management Committee.

2016: Construction of a sanitary kitchen area and hiring of a nurse for the children. Official entry of local government by funding two more dormitories and food for 13 students.

2017: Construction of barrier-free toilets and bathrooms, handover of ten wheelchairs.

2018:

• Sustainable improvement of the children’s nutrition: construction of a greenhouse, a vegetable garden and a chicken and goat coop to also teach the children important skills such as gardening, hiring of another teacher and gardener
• Construction of a handicapped accessible playground and a barrier free access path with the help of two of our volunteers: The children, who depend on a wheelchair, can now participate independently in village life for the first time in their lives and can go to the toilet or to the sports field for physical training on their own. This represents a huge improvement in their quality of life.

2019: Development of a 5-year plan for the SMC to help them achieve their goals and communicate with important organs, organization of regular visits by a physiotherapist and a doctor, procurement of medication and three more wheelchairs, hiring of a sports teacher as a confidant, construction of another dormitory by the government

2020: Handover to the government