Back to Life has been supporting the Janajyoti School in the Chitwan District, near the Chitwan National Park in southern Nepal, since 2010. The school is located in a village that is characterized by deep poverty. The Chepang people who live there are among the poorest minorities in Nepal. That is why we support the families with, for example, scholarships for school children, school meals, health care, access to clean energy and income generation.

In 2016 Back to Life rebuilt and equipped an earthquake-proof school building with two classrooms, which was previously destroyed by the severe earthquake in 2015. As a result, lessons for the children in the village could be fully resumed just one year after the earthquake. Currently the school offers elementary education up to grade 5 and Back to Life has set up a pre-school. A total of 109 children attend the primary school, they are taught by six dedicated teachers. We organize regular workshops and programs for students on the subjects of the environment, health and children’s rights.

AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE OF CHILDREN | In August 2019, Back to Life began building a second school block, which will replace an old, dilapidated school building and provide additional space. The earthquake-proof new building consists of three classrooms with a solid foundation, so that future expansion by building an additional floor is possible.

Due to the expansion of the school, the school management can now apply to the school authorities for permission to teach up to the 8th grade. This is an urgently needed development for the village and the surrounding settlements, as there is no other school in the vicinity that offers classes for grades 6-8.

The project is therefore a direct investment by Back to Life in the education of all current and future students in the region. This not only optimizes the current state of the school, but also enables students to access further education locally. At the moment, students in the 6th grade (and above) have to walk one and a half hours (one way only) to reach the Buddhashanti Secondary School. The daily walk of 3-4 hours is a great burden for the children and one of the main factors that prevent them from continuing their schooling. Back to Life has permanently solved this problem with the expansion of the school.