Saraswati Chyaribuk Secondary School in Lelep ward has always fallen short of being a beacon of excellence, partly because new classrooms have taken too long to construct and because the facilities at the girls’ hostel were in dire need of repair and improvement.
Lelep is situated on the slopes above the Tamour Nadi River and looks across at the Hellok Valley and the Ghunsa Khola Valley with magnificent snow covered peaks at its head.
Saraswati Chyaribuk Secondary School in Lelep ward has always fallen short of being a beacon of excellence, partly because new classrooms have taken too long to construct and because the facilities at the girls’ hostel were in dire need of repair and improvement. Not only did the hostel need a complete refurbishment but we needed to supply water, build a toilet and washing facility appropriate for teenage girls and construct a kitchen and dining building.
The work required was too much for our programme alone so we embarked on a collaborative approach. Mrs Margaret Lister, a good friend of the Trust, funded the refurbishment of the hostel sleeping and living accommodation, including new beds and furniture. The water supply was funded by Stuart Bygrave of Singapore, while the bathroom, toilets and washing facilities were funded by Pershore, Worcester, Evesham, Chipping Campden and Hereford Rotary and Inner Wheel District 10. Finally the major construction of four kitchens, each with two gas stoves and a smokeless cooker, sinks, storage, tiled floors and stainless steel work surfaces, as well as a dining room was funded by the Beatrice Laing Family Trust.
Of course non of this would have been possible without the careful management of our REED Nepal team in making sure that all the pieces of the construction jigsaw fitted.
Pasang Kipa Sherpa, hostel monitor, expresses perfectly what a difference this has made to the lives of the thirty two girls who live in the hostel.
Before, when we stayed in the hostel, we were always afraid, afraid of where we were going to collect water, where we could wash, collect wood for our kitchen stove and find time to study. We were also afraid at night because we had no fence and windows were broken. Our rooms were crowded and cramped with two or three girls to a bed. Some girls had to sleep on the floor because there were not enough beds. The broken windows meant we were cold at night. Despite all the discomfort we wanted to live in the hostel because it saved us a very long walk to and from school each day. It meant, despite the difficulties, that we had more time for study.
Today we are so happy. We have clean rooms with comfortable beds and a room to study in. We have clean toilets and washing facilities with a shower and room to change. The four kitchens with gas and smokeless stoves allow us to cook healthy meals in a clean environment and all eat together at the table.
You have exceeded all our expectations and we are so grateful to HTUK and all donors who have made this possible. We send our love. Thank you.
The school is now in a position where the educational standard has improved as a result of our Teacher Training Programme and they can offer much improved hostel facilities to the girls.
When the next phase of classroom construction, funded by the Nepal Government, is completed next April, Saraswati Chyaribuk Secondary School will be that beacon of educational light for schools to aspire to.
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