It has been quite a journey but the first phase of school construction at Shree Tripitak Basic School in Lhuri, Upper Dolpo is finally complete! Previously, there had been no schooling in Lhuri for many years and only one dilapidated building from earlier times.
After demolishing the old school building, we were able to successfully complete the first step by providing eight classrooms this summer. The pictures show the old and new school building and the 2023 teaching team with Dawa Phuntsok in the middle.
Our special thanks at this point once again to Gaby and Matthias Wahl for their extremely generous support in the construction and operation of the school in memory of their late son Alexander.
This enables us to teach children in preschool and grades 1-3. We have also set up a room for each, the school children and teachers who spend the night at the school and provided a school kitchen.
Due to heavy snowfall, completion was delayed because it was no longer possible to transport timber to Lhuri since September last year. Nevertheless, at the beginning of September 2023, we managed to completely cover the roof and plaster the building. Due to the massive structure of the roof, we unfortunately lacked the material to equip the classroom floors with wood. Our goal is to complete this measure next year.
The locals of Lhuri, especially the children and teachers, are overwhelmed with joy at finally having a roof over their heads, separate classrooms and a kitchen space. The families are very happy that they no longer have to send their children the long way to school in Nyisal or Karang. In the future, children from neighboring villages will be able to spend the night at school and not have to go home every evening.
The gratitude of the residents of Lhuri was also reflected in the voluntary help with covering the roof and the earthworks around the school grounds. Thank you very much for that.
But there is still a lot to do. Due to heavy rains in summer, one of the compound walls on the slope collapsed and needs to be replaced and reinforced. The sanitary facilities and three to four other rooms are still missing to extend the school up to grade 5. So far, around 35,000 USD have been invested in the construction including transport expenses. The entire school complex should be completed by 2025/2026.
This success represents an important milestone and lessons in the new building have already begun with great enthusiasm. We look forward to taking the next steps and providing a pleasant learning environment for the students not only from Lhuri but also from the neighboring villages of Ke and Sungjer. We send our warmest thanks and all the best to Dawa Phuntsok and his dedicated team of teachers, which will continue to grow over the years.
Your continued financial support of our work in the Upper Dolpo area means a lot to us. We thank you very much for your generosity and trust in our mission.
Finally, a gallery of the construction work.
