Thulosirubari celebrates its new school – Famed alpinist Ralf Dujmovits takes stage at opening

This is no ordinary roadblock: only 500 metres to go to the school building at Thulosirubari, 70 kilometres to the east of Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, but this is where Ralf Dujmovits and Stefan Nestler are forced to disembark from their Jeep after several hours on the road on this 16th of March, 2018. Immediately, musicians strike up their traditional instruments in a welcome for Germany’s premier high-altitude alpinist and the noted journalist from Cologne. When the party reaches the school forecourt, they are given a grand reception together with Sunil Shrestha and Shyam Pandit, Nepalhilfe Beilngries’ local representatives. Several hundred students, parents, teachers, village elders and other citizens of Thulosirubari have gathered to inaugurate the first two new building sections, another milestone in Nepalhilfe Beilngries’ effort to reconstruct or rehabilitate the schools damaged or destroyed by the earthquake. A key contribution to this effort came from „School up!“, a fundraising project initiated by Ralf Dujmovits, Austrian top-tier alpinist Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and Stefan Nestler. Its aim was to rebuild the flattened school as quickly as possible, and do so under the aegis of Nepalhilfe Beilngries, itself delighted at the extra financial assistance given the scope of the overall project: no less than 13 schools are to be rebuilt besides the one at Thulosirubari. Its three-story predecessor was nothing more than a jumble of steel mesh and smashed concrete in April 2015. Thanks to „School up!“, reconstruction began as early as October 2016, and now, the first two buildings are complete, as are the twelve classrooms they house. April saw the classes move out of their corrugated-steel makeshift huts and into the new facilities.

New courage

On this festive day, guests are treated to a host of speeches given underneath a large tarpaulin shading the schoolyard and witness many documents and gifts being presented. Dance demonstrations by students provide some entertainment, and everyone’s face displays gratitude. „You have not just helped us, you have given us new courage,“ says Devi Dulal, president of the school committee, referring to how the rebuilding of the school spurred many residents of Thulosirubari to rebuild their homes as well. In Sindhupalchowk District, work is currently in progress on around 75 per cent of the buildings damaged or destroyed during the 2015 quake, says civil engineer Sanjay Sapkota, the technical expert coordinating the reconstruction of the schools on behalf of Nepalhilfe Beilngries.

Groundbreaking for eight more classrooms

On this festive day, Nestler and Dujmovits go on to lay the next cornerstone, this one is for the second phase of construction of „School up!“ This is to create an additional building with eight classrooms and a second toilet section. „Education is the best and most important investment in our youth!“ says Ralf Dujmovits in his brief address as he and Stefan Nestler accept the thanks of the people on behalf of all donors of „School up“, which includes Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and the staff at Nepalhilfe Beilngries, whose experience and great dedication made building the first section possible. Sunil Shrestha brought a check for 5,000 Euros to the inauguration. The money will go towards supplying the school with new furniture and materials.

„School up!“ will, however, need yet more donations in order to complete the second phase of construction, due for the end of next year, said Stefan Nestler at his visit. 

Please give generously via this bank account:

Nepalhilfe Beilngries e.V.
Volksbank Bayern Mitte eG
IBAN: DE05 7216 0818 0004 6227 07
BIC/SWIFT-Code: GENODEF1INP
Subject: Gerlinde-und-Ralf-Schule