Our Second visit to Dhading “Shree Thani Chandi Primary School”

The WFN Team has set out to Dhading for the second time with trucks of emergency aid. This time we returned to help the children of Shree Thani Chandi Primary School located in the rural area of Dhading District. The children had almost lost all hope that they would be able to go back to school because their area had been so hard hit by the earthquake, schools had completely collapsed and all of their uniforms and books were buried in their own collapsed homes. The children are now living in temporary shelters with their families and have very little of anything.

On our first emergency relief visit to Dhading, we noticed a boy searching through the debris for his books and school materials and that touched our hearts so deeply that we came up with this project; to provide metal roofing to the school to construct a temporary building, uniforms for the students and notebooks. We brought with us school uniforms, shoes and slippers for 150 children. We also provided chairs and tables to the school.

In the Dhading area, the situation is worsening day by day. Due to monsoon rains, there is a high risk of landslides and many of the children have to walk long distances over hillside trails to reach to the school. They are still frightened by the aftershocks and are in need of counselling and support. Because of their vulnerable living situations, there is also risk of communicable disease. While we were at the school, we spent time sharing with the students and teachers information related to sanitation and cleanliness.

After we distributed all the supplies, the children near us took a long breath and with a smile on each face said “We are going to school again!” This made us feel so in high spirits. We know that the work and support we are giving to the people makes a big difference. These children only want to be able to go to school and restart their lives as it was before. Here, in a flow of joy and words, is what one little girl shared with us:
“After the big earthquake, all our school was damaged, our library, chairs, blackboards were no more. Many of my friends lost their lives. Luckily, my family is safe but our house also collapsed. We faced lots of trouble during this time. We stayed outside in an open field with empty stomachs. Then, you people (WFN) came to see us with relief materials that made us feel that we have someone taking care of us in this hard time. We got the tent, warm blankets and 1 sack of rice weighing 30 kg, which was a lot for us. This time you are here again to see us with materials for the school and uniforms and notebooks for us. This is really lots for us. Our schools are rebuilding and we are going to school with a proper uniform and stationery materials. We would like to thank you from the core of our heart. Thank you so much for being family and supporting us in this hard time. We will remember this always and do our best with our studies and be a responsible citizen in future.” –O.T.

Thank you so much all for your helping hearts.
Together we can add hope and share scenes of comfort.