Nepal Earthquake Relief for Children and Education

Brief background

The earthquake on Saturday, April 25th, and the subsequent aftershocks have shaken us all more than just physically. As the death toll mounts to more than 8,500, the tragedy has left people homeless and vulnerable. In spite of such dire situation, it is uplifting to see the outpouring of support for immediate relief operations from all around the globe.

Amidst all the chaos, we are particularly concerned about the welfare of thousands of children who have been affected in more ways than one – distressed, displaced and completely traumatized by the scenes of devastation all around them. As we try to rehabilitate communities, it is utterly important to pay special attention to the emotional and physical well-being of these children. Along with their physical safety, their psychological security needs to be duly addressed in the coming days.
With so many schools destroyed, and communities displaced, many children will be deprived of education for months, if not years. We need to ensure that they can continue their education while houses and schools are being reconstructed and communities rehabilitated.

What is OLE Nepal’s plan?

OLE Nepal will leverage its experience on integrating technology in education to engage children in learning and fun activities in earthquake affected communities. Using durable laptops loaded with educational activities and powered by solar energy, the program will reconnect children with their innate desire to learn, while also helping them overcome the trauma caused by this devastation. Getting children back on the learning track can be one powerful means of healing their emotional scars. Children in crisis benefit from the sense of normalcy provided by continued education.

How are we implementing the program?

Our program will be introduced in two settings:
1) Communities where schools infrastructure has been destroyed, and need rebuilding, and
2) Communities that have been completely displaced where children have no access to schools.

In both cases, OLE Nepal’s proven laptop program will be adapted to fit the needs of the affected children. Interactive multimedia-based educational content appropriate for all primary and lower secondary age groups will be loaded on the laptops so that children from different age groups can benefit from the program. Teams of volunteers and local teachers will help these children get involved in carefully designed learning experience. Volunteers and teachers will also receive training on counseling children in distress. The resources provided by this program can be utilized even after children return to the regular school system. In fact, these resources will help bring a much needed reform in education by engaging students in their learning process. Studies in OLE Nepal’s current program schools have indicated that this approach does not only improve learning outcomes, but also helps change children’s attitude towards learning.

We believe that this program will help children gain emotional and psychological support, while keeping children engaged in learning activities during the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase.

Please help us in helping the children

We are raising funds through Indiegogo campaign and would continuously require your support on our mission to provide relief to the children.

You can also donate locally to our bank account in Nepal. The account details are as follow:
Nepal Investment Bank Limited
Pulchowk Branch, Lalitpur, Nepal
Swift Code: NIBL NPKT
Account Number: 00405010087056
Account Name: Open Learning Exchange Nepal (OLE Nepal)
Address: Sanepa 2, Lalitpur, Nepal