New Marigold Secondary School in Nepal

Hello! My name is Sophie and I am raising money for the New Marigold Secondary School in the rural village, Chiti, Nepal.

My boyfriend, Chris, and I have been lucky enough to volunteer at New Marigold for around a month now and it has been amazing. The students (kindergarten to seventh grade) are motivated to learn and seem happy to come to school. But it hasn’t always been that way.

Only two months ago, the Marigold School was under different ownership. There were only 30 students, the teachers did not teach because they were not paid, the bathroom had not been cleaned in six months, and the teachers used physical punishment like hitting and slapping to discipline students.

Sadly, this type of educational environment is not uncommon in Nepal. Physical discipline is widely used causing immense physical and psychological harm to students. In addition, many children cannot attend school at all because their families cannot afford it or they belong to a caste that is not allowed at school. Shamser Thapa (the man in the picture with us) has a vision to change this.

When Shamser visited the school two months ago, he was appalled by its condition. Having already built three revolutionary secondary schools in Nepal, he knew that he needed to take over as principal. With some hefty donations and volunteer help, he has turned things around.

Today, 150 students from all backgrounds and castes attend New Marigold Secondary School for free or reduced cost. All students get free lunch every day. The teachers are motivated because they have higher than average pay. There is a new custodian and brand new bathroom facilities. There are four donated laptops that the students use for their computer lab. There are volunteers who come from all over the world to bring their unique skills to the school. And, for one of the first times in Nepal, there is a zero tolerance policy for physical punishment.

It has been incredible to watch the transformation before our eyes and to say we helped out with it. Shamser is extremely driven to change the educational system in Nepal and inspires others to make changes within their own communities.

Shamser has asked us to fundraise for school supplies. He is especially excited about the possibility of the new PA system so he can talk to all of the teachers at once instead of walking to all 8 classrooms many times per day.

Our goal is to raise $1,020. The budget broken down further looks like this:

* New PA system and speakers: $670

* New pencils for students: $40

* New notebooks for students: $80

* New pencils sharpeners for students: $40

* New erasers for students: $40

* New white board markers for teachers: $50

* New blank paper for students: $70

* New uniforms for students who can’t afford them: $100

If you are interested and able to donate, any amount is appreciated. No donation is too small and all donations will make a massive difference in these children’s lives.

If you want to learn more about Shamser and his schools, check out https://www.heavenhillacademy.org

If you are interested in volunteering in Nepal at one of the schools, check out his WorkAway link: https://www.workaway.info/en/host/169379873767

Thank you so much :)

Sophie