In April 2015 a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Nepal, killing 9,000 people and injuring another 22,000.
The following year we took a team of volunteers to build 4 classrooms and a new library for the children in the village of Phulkharka. The village is in a remote area of the Himalayan mountains. Many locals had died in the earthquake and their school had sustained serious damage. The villagers were so keen to have their children back at school they had erected temporary shelters.
Unfortunately, on the third day of our building, a shocking accident occurred. A building collapsed, trapping several of our volunteers and inflicting very serious injuries.
Thankfully, the badly injured were taken by helicopter to Kathmandu for emergency surgery and treatment. The building program, of course, was temporarily suspended.
Amazingly, through the good work of our Australian and Nepalese volunteers, we were able to fulfill our commitment to the locals. Four classrooms and a new library were built within 6 months.
We have had several people return to visit the school and to witness the joy of the children.
