Thade, Rasuwa
SHREE SARASWATI BASIC SCHOOL

The earthquake in April 2015 hit the Rasuwa region particularly hard. 70-80% of the houses were destroyed. Despite the remoteness of the area, our team was able to provide emergency aid (blankets, tarpaulins, food, medicine) within only two days and kept receiving requests for support to rebuild schools.

Since Thade is one of the poorest villages in the region, we chose to help there. Located at 2,000m above sea level, it is mostly inhabited by Tamang, an ethnic group that adheres to Buddhism. The ten classrooms of the local school had been completely destroyed in the earthquake. With the help of our sponsors, they could be rebuilt according to the RCC model and now benefit 85 students between five and 14 years of age. In addition, the school was also equipped with modern toilet facilities as well as showers and wash basins for boys and girls.

The foundation stone of Thade School was laid in a beautiful ceremony with traditional singing and dancing from the Langtang region. All the inhabitants of Thade, the children of the surrounding villages, as well as Kamal Thapa and Santosh Silwal (Chay Ya Nepal) celebrated this day exuberantly.

For the construction, the local women first collected sand and carried it in baskets from the rivers to the construction site, while the men dug the three-meter-deep holes for the steel beams, which were then filled with cement and sand. The children also helped wherever they could. Afterwards, the purchased bricks and cement were made into walls and, also with the active support of our volunteers Lucas, Sam and Lloyd, the construction progressed quickly.

After only one year, seven classrooms could be ceremoniously opened and our new partner, Roots for Life from Graz, took over the financing of the washrooms and another three classrooms. Many thanks for that!