Bhediyahi, Rautahat
SHREE PAROHA BASIC SCHOOL

Rautahat District has a very low literacy rate (42 %) and a poor economic situation. Chay Ya believes that children’s education is the backbone of village communities and leads to sustainable poverty reduction. Underprivileged ethnic groups and castes in particular have very difficult access to education in Nepal, as do girls. However, at the Shree Basic School in Bhediyahi, it is precisely these groups that are being targeted.

Unfortunately, the classrooms were chronically overcrowded, meaning some children had to study outdoors in temperatures of up to 42°C. The local government itself did not have sufficient financial resources to build more classrooms without external support. So Crossing Borders generously provided 60% of the costs, whilst the Municipality paid the remainder. As a result, we were able to build spacious classrooms for learning, as well as hygienic toilets for the children.

In July 2019, the foundation stone for the new classrooms was laid in a traditional ceremony. Representatives of the community, members of the school management committee, teachers, parents, students, local residents and members of Chay Ya Nepal were present as local religious rituals were performed to wish a good outcome for the construction project. The Early Childhood Development (ECD) classroom was completed and in use by then, and the existing toilets had been refurbished. In addition, the school was also supported with equipment and new furniture, to provide a suitable seat and a table for all children.

In August 2019, construction began on the four new classrooms and toilets, which were supposed to be ready by the end of April 2020 – but due to Corona, there were of course delays here as well. In addition, the rooms had to become much larger than originally planned, as the number of children continued to grow. So now each classroom can accommodate 60-70 children if necessary, instead of only 30 as originally planned. And that is also really lucky, because the 450 students in 2019 have already become 650 by 2021!

In November 2020, we could celebrate the opening together. By then, the building, including windows, doors and painting, was ready and waiting, so that the children can now finally all find a place!