Shree Sagarmatha Basic School is located in Hoklabari (Vankaruwa Toll), Morang, in Kanepokhari Rural Municipality 1. The school, which was founded by 2009 by local intellectuals, educators, and social activists to provide access to basic education. The school is situated in a poor neighborhood and is currently teaching up to class two. A total of 45 students (boys-17, girls-28) are enrolled, with 90 percent of them coming from the Santhal community, which is known in Nepal as a marginalized community. The local children were deprived of basic education because the nearest school was 3 kilometers away and there was no transportation.
Due to a lack of adequate funding, the school was initially run under a tree. With the help of the local government, they now have a three-room concrete building. Many infrastructures and facilities are still lacking at the school. Taking this into account, LWF Nepal’s implementing partner, Lutheran Community Welfare Society (LCWS), formed a school-level disaster management committee with action plans to address the school’s needs. Furthermore, through the disaster management committee, LCWS in technical and financial support from LWF Nepal, provided four fans and connection wires to the school so that children could study comfortably in the sweltering heat of summer.
Furthermore, LCWS collaborated with the local government and representatives to improve the school’s electrical system’s organization and security. The local government allocated NPR 30,000 to the school to install additional wiring and meter boxes, making the school’s electrical system stronger and safer.
“We want to thank the local government, community, including LCWS and LWF for making it easier for the students to get basic education,” said the school’s principal, Narwada Magar.”