Sanjyalbada, Kalikot
SHREE MAHADEV BASIC SCHOOL

Shree Mahadev Basic School is located in Sanjyalbada village at 1,950 m. It has recently been expanded to run classes up to 8^th grade (before only students up to 5^th grade could attend school here). Unfortunately, there was not enough space to accommodate three extra classes. Therefore, we decided to construct a two-story building with five classrooms and clean toilets for boys and girls.

To make sure the new building’s earthquake resistant, we included an RCC frame and used eco-friendly CSEB (Compressed Stabilized Earth Bricks) to build the walls. In this inexpensive and environmentally friendly method, local materials – sand, earth and cement – are compressed into building bricks with the help of a machine. This eliminates the need to transport fired bricks from far away, and the method is also more earthquake resistant. The local population was also instructed in this simple building method.

In December 2021, the old building was demolished and the foundation laying ceremony of the new school took place. Unfortunately, the monsoon in 2022 was so heavy that the roads to this remote region were washed away completely and the necessary brick-making machine could not be transported to the construction site. In January 2023, it finally arrived in Sanjyalbada and the CSEB training for the local population could take place. In a team effort the new building was completed by spring 2024 and the inauguration in May was a big celebration!

Sustainability: Shubhakalika Rural Municipality took care of 10 % of the construction costs and will pay for all wages and running costs after completion of the project.