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A 7.8 magnitude tremor on 25 April 2015, followed by a 7.3 aftershock two weeks later, killed almost 9,000 people. More than 740,000 homes and 32,000 classrooms were damaged or destroyed throughout Nepal but nowhere was worse hit than the steep, crowded and poor mountainside dwellings close to the epicentre in the Sindhupalchok District and the villages between Jiri and Lukla.
Seti Devi Primary School is situated in Sindhupalchok which was at the heart of epicentre in the earthquake and saw massive devastation with over 10,000 people killed. The village was almost completely destroyed with all the villagers having to live in tents and temporary shelters. It has 125 students and 4 teachers, all 3 classrooms were either damaged or destroyed. The land the school was built was unstable so it had to be relocated. The children were taught in temporary tents for over a year.
Situated 120 km south of Lukla, the school in Balakanya village was destroyed forcing the 75 children, which were thankfully unharmed, to continue with their lessons in temporary shelters. With Nepal in chaos, there was very little hope for any help from the outside world, especially the remote villages which in many cases, have to provide their own teachers for their children . The school was totally destroyed in the earthquake and had to be relocated to safer ground, the few students that were able to continue with their education were using tents and temporary classrooms. The new school was completed and opened in November 2016.
Although the project was occasionally daunting, the Juniper Trust persevered with the invaluable help of local volunteers and the communities themselves. As news of their good work spread, many other villages approached the Trust for assistance in rebuilding their own schools. The Trust remained committed to its Nepal Earthquake appeal and set an ambitious target of rebuilding 10 more schools by 2020, making a total of 20 schools rebuilt by that year.
The Juniper Trust rebuilt a further 7 schools before work came to a halt due to the Covid pandemic in spring 2020. However, the resilience of the Nepalese people shone through, and as soon as it was safe to do so, they resumed work on the remaining schools. In December 2021, the 18th school, Bampti Kindergarten, was completed, and Maili school was successfully rebuilt in 2022 with the help of the first western volunteers to return to Nepal since the pandemic.
Although the project was occasionally daunting, the Juniper Trust persevered with the invaluable help of local volunteers and the communities themselves. As news of their good work spread, many other villages approached the Trust for assistance in rebuilding their own schools. The Trust remained committed to its Nepal Earthquake appeal and set an ambitious target of rebuilding 10 more schools by 2020, making a total of 20 schools rebuilt by that year.
The Juniper Trust rebuilt a further 7 schools before work came to a halt due to the Covid pandemic in spring 2020. However, the resilience of the Nepalese people shone through, and as soon as it was safe to do so, they resumed work on the remaining schools. In December 2021, the 18th school, Bampti Kindergarten, was completed, and Maili school was successfully rebuilt in 2022 with the help of the first western volunteers to return to Nepal since the pandemic.
Work has already begun on the 20th school rebuild, in the remote village of Ranjana Beni, and the Trust is committed to completing it by November 2023. The Juniper Trust’s success in rebuilding these schools is a testament to the power of collective action and the determination of the human spirit, and we are grateful for the support of all those who have contributed to this important cause.
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has contributed their time, effort, and resources to make this amazing project possible
Change Their World. Change Yours. This Changes Everything.
30 Wordsworth Street
Penrith, Cumbria
CA11 7QY, United Kingdom
Registered Charity Number: 1053356
