Sambhav Nepal

History
Local people of Ratmate village built Bhairabi Primary School in 1993 AD (2050 BS) running classes 1 and class 2. After the civil war started in 1995, the government has made no effort to show any financial or educational support to improve the current conditions. Bhairabi Primary School has remained open from the constant commitment of the local village people and the ever growing needs for a basic primary school to educate their children. If it was to close it means that the locals of Ratmate would need to send their children from as young as 4 to 7 on a 50 minute walk to the closest school and then 50 minute walk back home. Keep in mind most parents are constantly working in the fields so these children would be walking alone.

Location
Bhairabi primary school is located in the Northern part of the Gorkha district; Arupokhari village development committee ward no. 6, Ratmate village. You can travel there only by road. A local public bus from Kathmandu leaves everyday from morning 6.30am till 11.00am to Arughat.

Once you arrive in Arughat Bazar you travel westwards by climbing the stairs at the top Arughat Bazar and then across the bridge and Stull khola (Stull River) you will ascend up, to reach the village, the hike will take you around 2 hours all the way up. At first you will reach Dharapani Secondary School at Dharapani Village, from there it's another 40 minutes walk to Ratmate village where Bhairabi School is.

Though Bhairabi has seen a tremendous progress in the past few years, plenty of challenges still need to be addressed. Sambhav Nepal plans to provide continued support to Bhairabi School, also because it is the first project that the organization looked into. We plan to make Bhairabi an exemplar school by transforming it into a modern one in a rural setting.

Qualified Teachers
Of the most pressing issue is the quality of education provided: the teachers are underpaid and there are very few teaching materials for the teachers. The new classrooms and the toilet facility built with the generosity of Australian donors and field support of Sambhav Nepal have definitely enhanced the school's resources, yet affordability of qualified teachers and education materials are alack. We are constantly sourcing ways to tackle this problem.

Volunteer Room
Sambhav Nepal is looking to create a volunteer house in two of the school's rooms (bedroom and kitchen). We believe that mobilizing qualified volunteers is a viable option for the schools and the community; the new ideas and methods that the volunteers share with the school administration will definitely help to improve the learning environment for the children. Our volunteers in the past have left a very profound mark in the way the schools are run and the children are taught. They have reiterated the need for a volunteer house of which the benefits can be reaped for years to come to develop the education scenario in Arupokhari.

Montessori Room
The Montessori system of teaching has gained significant popularity in Nepal. The creative pedagogical methods of this system have proven tremendously successful. We deem that such a method would create a very suitable environment for the children for personal, physical and intellectual growth. By hiring trained staff, in addition to new furniture and required amenities to an existing room in the school for Montessori, Sambhav Nepal wants to introduce advanced methods of teaching to Bhairabi.

Cement-Plastering of the buildings
The buildings that have thus far been constructed need to be cement-plastered, which besides its aesthetic purpose, is direly needed for insulation. The buildings tend to get extremely hot during the summer time, to the point that the cases of students losing consciousness has become a common occurrence. Much to dismay, this has been accepted as a norm in the village. Cement-plastering will help mitigate this problem in Bhairabi.

Drinking Water Supply and Compounding
Drinking water supply for the school and use in the toilet needs to be installed in order to maintain a high level of sanitation. The school children, staff and volunteers will directly benefit from this facility. For safety and security reasons, it is important that the school be fenced. Metal will be used for high durability and ease of construction.

School Playground
In light of the fact that the number of school children are increasing rapidly, the school compound has become insufficient for the children to play about, without risking injury. The school would be better off purchasing a plot of land to convert it into a playground. The larger area would definitely help the children for recreation and other activities required during this development stage of their lives.

Income-Generating Project for the School
The concept of entrepreneurship has only recently caught up in the village. This may be because of lack of resources, like seed capital, to implement the idea. Sambhav Nepal strives to provide entrepreneurial ideas and prospects to Bhairabi School administration in creating a sustainable business to support the on-going cost of the school. The objective of this project would be to make the school self-sustainable, albeit partially. Based on the resources available, poultry farming and cattle farming are the most viable options. We are exploring further ways in which we can utilize what is available to generate revenues.

 

Past and On-going Projects
The poor condition of the school reflected directly in the poor performance of the children. After making an initial assessment of the situation, Sambhav Nepal put forward a proposal to construct a new building and a toilet in Bhairabi’s premises. The donors, especially Allan, expressed their interest in the project and after necessary funds were received, Sambhav Nepal carried out the following activities in Bhairabi in 2007 and later. We have been continually distributing free stationeries, uniform and school bags to all the students of Bhairabi, in addition to employing four certified English teachers. In order to cover this cost pertaining to the children and the teachers, we are planning to implement income-generating projects for the school. Besides facilitating a balanced allocation of the budget in the school, this would help Sambhav Nepal focus on other issues at hand, like those listed in the Needs & Target section.

 

	Construction of two-roomed school block in 2010 Allan Wolden / Nepal School Project It has been completed recently. Now the school is facilitated with total eight rooms including an administration and a volunteers’ room.
	Construction of five-roomed toilet block in 2010 The Australian Embassy in Nepal Australian eyes to this school was great and the true mission of Sambhav Nepal as well. Despite the increasing number of students, unfortunately, there was no any toilet. Australian embassy Nepal peeped here and finally granted aid for five toilets’ project, including one western style. This fulfilled the school with five toilets which was lacked since the establishment. The western design toilet facilitating the volunteers is the central attraction.
	Construction of four roomed school block in 2009 Allan Wolden / Nepal School Project The number of students increased from 50 to 150 in this year since Allan J. Waldon was extending his helping hands. In fact he was in deep love with the students, teachers and whole community. After the completion of the project, it was a huge achievement in Ratemate village.
	Construction of two roomed school block in 2008 Allan Wolden / Nepal School Project Allan visited the school in January 2008 and got back with the rough estimation of replacing the old school building which was in fact and finally occurred in 2008. It provided the better places for the then existing students. The project was completed within six months. It was grand success on behalf of the school and also provided at least temporary job for the local people.
	Refurbishment of Bhairabi Primary School in 2007 Allan Wolden / Nepal School Project It was the first maintenance effort of Sambhav Nepal under the financial aid of Allan J Waldon, opened the door for massive development of the school. This project concluded with repair and maintenance of the roof, walls, desks, bench, chairs of the school. The school was facilitated with the required stationeries both for the administration and students for entire year.

Project Outcome

The efforts of Sambhav Nepal and the support of the donors have helped Bhairabi School entirely transform its image. The renovation of an old building and the construction of a three-roomed building have increased the school’s capacity to accommodate more students. The students were provided with backpacks, uniform and stationery, which, besides helping the current students with their school needs, also encourages other children, who otherwise may be financially challenged, to join school. Until five years ago, there were merely some 20 students in the entire school, but after the renovation work, the student population has escalated to 160 with 6 fulltime teachers. We have helped provide the necessary resources and training/workshops to the faculty to successfully convert the school to an English-medium institution. Further, Sambhav Nepal has also been providing the salary for two teachers and one staff. We deem that the quality of the teachers and the performance of the students in Bhairabi have improved drastically.

Likewise, the five-stalled toilets funded by the Australian Embassy and the Nepal School Project Fund have helped the school to operate in a more efficient manner as the children and the teachers have easy access to the toilets and need not walk distances any more. Of the five stalls, three are used by students, and one each by teachers and volunteers.

Bhairabi Primary School
The school has undergone a series of transformations that have significantly improved its physical outlook along with the education standards provided.

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Construction 2010 and 2011
The fourth building block was constructed in 2010 and 2011. More work on the fencing and creating a wall to stop the flow of mud into the compound will be the forthcoming activities this year.

 

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Completion and Inauguration of the toilet 2010
Following the completion of the toilet, the Australian Ambassador to Nepal Hon. Susan Grace formally inaugurated the facility on May 20th, 2010, in a lively ceremony organized by Bhairabi School, Sambhav Nepal and the locals .

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Toilet Construction 2010
Funded by the Direct Aid Program grant issued by the Australian Embassy, the Bhairabi Toilet Project commenced in early 2010. The toilet has helped improve the sanitation situation of the school at a time when the student population has seen a sharp increase.

 

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A two-roomed block was constructed during this year with the Australian national Allan Waldon's and Nepal School Project's support, as in the previous years.

 

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The prime focus of Sambhav Nepal during this year was the contruction of a new building that would house two classrooms and the administration room.

 

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Before Sambhav Nepal's intervention
The following pictures depict the meager resources of Bhairabi Primary School before Sambhav Nepal's first project.