You have to be tough to live in the tiny villages that cling to the
slopes of the Nepali “hills”. You have to be self-reliant, an
improviser, able to make do and make your own way. Waiting for someone
from “outside” to do it for you is just not an option.

For the
first few days after the April earthquake, people were stunned. Their
homes were flattened, their lives completely disrupted. The little they
had was gone. But that’s not going to feed the children, or put a roof
over their heads. So Nepali villagers dusted themselves off, dug in the
rubble for what they could salvage, and got on with it.

Using the
stone and timber and tin they’ve scrounged from the wreckage, they’ve
started to rebuild. They know the monsoon is coming, so they’re working
hard.

And they’re working together. In Jaubari VDC, Gorkha,
just 3.5 hours walk from the epicentre of the quake, Paul Wright came
across the Paropakar Adarshe Higher Secondary School. Built by UMN 50
years ago as part of the Gorkha project, the school has educated several
generations of children, and a number of UMN appointees have served
there. But the earthquake was too much for it – now it’s lying in
ruins.

The local people know the value of education, and want a
school for their kids. So they’ve set up working parties to clear the
rubble, and build a temporary school with whatever they can find. It may
not look much, but classes will resume within the next few days. They
were delighted to receive new sheets of corrugated iron from UMN’s
partner, Nepal Christian Relief Services. NCRS has distributed sheets to
eight schools in Jaubari, and two in neighbouring Muchok.

The going is always tough in these remote villages, and never tougher than now. But the tough are getting going!

Clearing the rubble at Paropakar HSS, Gorkha

The framework for the temporary school goes up

Ready for class! The temporary school, with some desks and benches from the old building.