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In the year since the Nepal earthquake struck on 25 April 2015, SOS Children’s Villages has been on the ground setting up child friendly spaces, providing humanitarian support for families in need, reuniting children with parents, and offering alternative care for children who could not be reunited with parents.
Beyond this immediate help, SOS Children’s Villages is investing in the long term through ‘bricks and mortar’ projects to help rebuild family homes and reconstruct damaged schools. We are also supporting students who lost valuable classroom time during the first months of the earthquake through make-up classes and supplementary studies for those preparing for their graduation exams.
Over the past year, SOS Children’s Villages has provided a combined 9,000 students with the resources to help them in school – including uniforms and school supplies. More than 1,200 students at ten different schools have attended supplementary classes to help make up for lost classroom time. These programmes add up to benefits for schools, communities and parents during the recovery.
SOS has had a presence in Nepal since 1972. Since our humanitarian appeal was announced on the day of the earthquake, we have delivered programmes that help parents meet their families’ basic needs, and supported those who need to take on added parental responsibilities. We have provided families with blankets, mattresses and other basic household goods. More than 17,000 people received our help within months of the earthquake.
The following photos illustrate how we are helping – today and in the future – to educate children. All photos by Martin Prihoda.