Uma and I paid our first visit to the school this morning. What an amazing welcome! Instead of children lining the street in the sun ( as of last year ), this year they all stayed in their respective classrooms and came forward with their bunches of flowers. A most touching gesture to say thank you to KIKN’s donations to enable the school to have a computer lab, a new library, a canteen to prepare free meals for 180 nusery children, classroom furniture, a water purifier and a new Science lab to come.
They were indeed, very grateful. The water purifier was built into the fabric of the school. Three of the classrooms were flattened during the earthquake. They are waiting for the government to fund the rebuilding. UNICEF and World Vision funded the building of the bamboo classroom in the aftermath. Unfortunately, the classes were constantly invaded by the monkeys from the nearby Swambu Temples and snakes crawling out from the surrounding woods . In the end, the children had to vacate and move back to the safety of the rather overcrowded class rooms.
As I entered each classroom, I was humbled by a great swell of emotion, seeing how hungry these children are to learn. They are keen to grasp the opportunities to learn and better themselves. They understand the importance of a good education, even at the tender age of 9/10 years. I had to fight hard to push down a lump in my throat. The faces of the children said it all. They are grateful for everything KIKN has done to equip their school with so many new facilities. This makes the relentless fund raising work in UK worthwhile.
Uma and I were honoured in the traditional way. ..With a tikka on our forehead and a red Tibetan prayer scarf.
