Nepal schools being rebuilt thanks to donations

FUNDS raised by kind-hearted Rotherham folk are helping to repair schools in Nepal damaged in last year’s devastating earthquakes.

Steve Priest, formerly of Wath, now lives with his wife and young son in Kathmandu and is vice prinicipal of The British School, which has battled to help victims of the quakes last April and May.

Appeals for donations to fund repair work at schools in the Dhading area were supported by people in Rotherham, including pupils at Wath Comprehensive School.

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The British School has raised more than £300,000, including a “substantial” donation from a Rotherham Advertiser reader working in Hong Kong.

Mr Priest said that, thanks to the donations, work is now going ahead on three schools.

Builders are working on the second storey of Gayetri Devi Primary School.

Land had to be bought to redevelop Shree Rudrakanya Primary School. The new site is 300 metres away from the old school and work is also under way at Shree Khanigau Primary School.

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Mr Priest said: “We are pleased to report that the building work is progressing on schedule and the expected date of completion is early May. 

“It is not long now until students will return to permanent classrooms one again.”

Staff and sixth form students from The British School will travel to the Dhading region in mid-February to link their learning to real-life situations and allow them to lead the way in creating positive change.

The British School students are planning a combination of sports activity, creative music, art and drama sessions for the students of all three schools and have also arranged for a doctor to conduct the yearly health check-ups for all of the students.

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Mr Priest said: “With 587 out of 608 schools in Dhading having unsafe classrooms, we are looking to ensure that the money that we have raised will be spent in communities where it will have the most impact.”

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