KATHMANDU, April 25: Global child rights organization Plan International has urged the international community to continue supporting Nepal, given the sheer scale of the disaster due to devastating earthquake two years ago and the huge remaining gaps in the reconstruction. It has also urged all the stakeholders to focus on education for children.
According to Plan International, as many as 8,000 schools were destroyed in the earthquakes, disrupting education for some one million children.
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“There is still so much more work to do for the children of Nepal. We urge governments and donors to prioritize the education and protection needs of children, so that they can study in safe and earthquake-proof classrooms,” says Sven Coppens, Country Director for Plan International.
Plan International Nepal said that over the last two years, it has raised €27.7 million to help 293,365 individuals – including 120,279 children - impacted by the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal.
“While families are making remarkable progress, and rebuilding is underway, Nepal’s recovery is far from complete. The affected areas are geographically very difficult environments to work in and we must rebuild in a careful and disaster-proof manner. This, amongst other factors, is why progress to date has been slower than expected, says Coppens.
Plan International said that it has supported more than 24,000 school children to regain immediate access to a quality education by building 326 temporary schools.
Plan International has claimed that since then, it has built 12 new schools (with an additional 10 underway) that are inclusive for children with disabilities and purpose-built to withstand future disasters. The schools also teach disaster-preparedness. The 22 new schools will enable 5,140 children to continue their education in a safe and permanent environment.
