Education in Emergencies - An Education Project for Nepalese Children

Education in Emergencies-EiE
Temporary Learning Centers
A help For Schools Children hit by Earthquake

Background Situation:
Two earthquakes struck Nepal on 25 April and 12 May killing over 8000 people and injuring 18 000. Measuring 7.8 and 7.3 on the Richter scale, the earthquakes affected 35 of the country’s 75 districts in the Western and Central Regions, including Kathmandu Valley districts. This includes mountain and hilly areas, in areas where rural populations are dispersed, as well as some very densely populated districts and Nepal’s two largest cities – greater Kathmandu and Pokhara.

The worst affected districts include Sindulpalchowk, Kabhrepalanchowk, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Dolakha, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Dhading, Kaski, Gorkha, Lamjung, Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Makawanpur, Manang, Chitawan and Nawalparsi. Most of these districts are located in Central region and Western region.


Education Dashboard:
24,974 classrooms destroyed, Department of Education (DoE) reports estimated 20,071 public  and additional 4,903 private school classrooms destroyed, while 9,986 classrooms have reported minor damages but still unsafe for students to carry out their studies inside these classrooms. 870,000 children are out of school, due to destroyed/majorly damaged classrooms 1.6 million enrolled pre-crisis in 14 most affected districts. Hundreds of thousands are affected in other districts by interrupted schooling, damaged classrooms and psychosocial impact (figures from Nepal Education Cluster)

Sindhupalchowk district is one of worst affected districts in recent earthquakes. As per district education officer 95% school buildings in Sindhupalchowk district have suffered damage due to the devastating earthquake occurred on April 25 and May 12 and hundreds of students are unable to restore their schooling as soon schools re-open.

Educational activities are still suspended due to earthquake and government announced to reopen the schools from 30th May, 2015. As per figures shared by district education officer and field visits of schools, describing the crisis as a "children’s emergency," HANDS and its Nepalese partner ECCA have taken steps to provide these children with a safe and supportive environment. To that end, temporary learning and recreational centers are being set up in schools affected by the earthquake.

HANDS model for Education in Emergencies (EiE).
HANDS has taken Education in Emergencies (EiE) as a great challenge and developed education Strategy for establishment of TLCs to ensure education in emergencies.

HANDS vast experience in Education in Emergencies:
HANDS has been actively part of relief, recovery and rehabilitation process of Pakistan earthquake 2005, super flood 2010 and flood in 2011 and 2012 by establishing 100 Temporary Learning Centers in disaster hit areas. HANDS also constructed 25 TLCs aftermath of earthquake in Awaran District BalochistanPakistan. We also rehabilitated 1100 schools and mobilized 120,000 children in these schools through UKAID Funding.

Temporary Learning centers TLCs
At the temporary learning centers, children have the opportunity to learn in a protected environment. Caregivers not only teach the basic primary-school subjects through semi-structured learning but also encourage artistic expression and recreation, which help the children deal with the stress they are under.

During  the  earthquake, If  schools building have been damaged and are at risk for children, a temporary learning center TLCs by using tents, poles and plastic sheeting will utilized to provide temporary learning center and create a safe spaceto  conduct educational activities. This model will accommodate and help to start education activities for 40-45 children age 4-12 years until a new school building is constructed.
This initial emergency response emphasizes non-formal approaches, permitting a more flexible deployment of space, time and materials, which takes into consideration the unstable situation at the onset of an emergency. 

MoU with Education Department, District Sindhupalchowk.
HANDS in partnership with ECCA signed a MOU with District Education Department Sindulpalchowk to establish 15 TLCs in four schools to help 600 earthquake affected students for their education by providing opportunity to learn in a protected environment and continue their education and recreational activities.
HANDS will establish 15 TLCs in ward 1 & 2 of Sindulpalchowk district where schools building are fully damaged and students have no place to continue their educational and recreational activities.
HANDS & ECCA will establish TLCs in following schools in ward 1& 2 in District Sindulpalchowk.

1.    Siddiqkamaldevi secondary school
2.    Dalshinjali lower secondary school
3.    Begosheri lower secondary school
4.    Sita primary school

Standard specification for TLCs
As per Bill of Quantity (BOQ) and drawings provided by Nepal Education department.

Cost of each model:
Total cost for one TLC model is 1500 US $

The Following activities are planned to carry out while implementing the project.
·         Signing MOU with education department
·         Technical need assessment
·         Establish Temporary Learning Centre, especially for girls protection
·         Re-enroll student/children (Girls and Boys)
·         Ensure girls attendance and session will be conducted with parents
·         Ensure teachers presence with support of district education department
·         Conduct training of teachers regarding EIE & joyful learning environment
·         Provide learning material
·         Provide white board and mate for seating
·         Meeting with DEO for coordination and support from education department provide textbooks for children
·         Provision of indoors and out door games material ( Gender-specific separately for girls and boys)
·         Conduct health & hygiene session with children & parents
·         Each TLC maintains a record of learners’ – by sex and age - enrolment, drop-out
·         Conduct monitoring visits
·         Share monthly reports with Education officials & Education Cluster

Partnership of HANDS International & ECCA (Nepalese Partner)
HANDS, considering its huge technical capacity and experience will support ECCA to implement the TLCs project in earthquake hit areas. HANDS will provide all training module and TLC related technical skills to ECCA to smoothly achieve the objectives of TLC model. ECCA’s role will be to implement, facilitate and monitor overall project.

For this project to be successful, we need your support and generous Donations.