May 2008
The school is finished!

Complete picture gallery

January 2008



Construction of the Santi Primary School in Ramche, Nepal, is more than halfway completed and on schedule to open for classes in April, the start of the Nepali school year.

When the school opens, we estimate that two or three teachers will greet about 60 students, with enrollment expected to increase each year as we add one additional grade level.

The six-room building is made entirely of stone, with wooden frames for windows and doors. More than 60 people are working on the construction, with simple tools like hammers, picks and shovels; a table saw is the only piece of electrical equipment.

Before construction could begin, the site, which was previously used as terraced farmland, had to be leveled. While there is some stone on the grounds, most of the stone used for construction has been carried from nearby areas of the mountain, usually in a wicker basket carried over the shoulders, with a strap around the forehead.



It’s rare that a stone can simply be added to an existing wall without first chiseling it into the proper shape, and the construction site is typically filled with the clinky sound of metal meeting stone.

Skilled wall builders select large stones that are flat and squarish and place them in two parallel rows, with smaller pieces used to fill the areas in between. The walls are approximately 18 inches thick.

The wood used in construction has come from various places, but like the stone, all of it had to be transported to the site by hand. Some beams were purchased and carried up the mountain while workers from Ramche cut down some trees about a 40 minute walk from the site.

In addition to the door and window frames, wood will also be used to make desks and chairs.

Besides the school building, which will consist of five classrooms and a library, there is enough space on the grounds for a small playground and a separate building for toilets.



Once construction is completed, probably by late February, the focus of our work will turn to establishing income-generation projects that the community can implement to pay for books, supplies and teacher salaries.

Local political and education officials have pledged their support for the school, including funds to pay teacher salaries. The process of registering the school with the government has also begun.

People are talking
about us!

Read the coverage of the Santi School Project:

7/14/2008
Addison Independent
Students rally around education in Nepal (PDF)

12/2007
The River Gazette
A Gift of Friendship, A Gift to Nepal (PDF)

11/14/2007
The Baltimore City Paper
Distance Learning: Catonsville Native Brings Fundraising Effort For Nepal School to Baltimore http://www.citypaper.com

6/7/2007
The Catonsville Times
Need for school in far-off land hits home for native
http://news.mywebpal.com