Barpak Children’s Learning Center
My name is Maya. I am in eighth grade and believe that all children need access to a place where they can get together, learn, and play. Where I live, just outside of Washington DC, the community center and the library are safe places for kids to play, make new friends, learn about the world, and lose themselves in the pages of a good book. 
I went to school in Nepal for the first several years of my life. It is where most of my extended family still lives, so I was devastated when over 5,000 schools were destroyed by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit central Nepal last April.
Barpak, a small mountain village closest to the epicenter of the earthquake, was completely demolished. The earthquake turned Barpak's four elementary and two middle schools into rubble. Children in Barpak now have no place to gather, learn and play together. There are no libraries, learning centers, or places they can call their own.
With your help, I would like to make such a place a reality in Barpak.
I have already raised money for my travels. And through the next few months, I will be working to raise funds for the materials for the Barpak Children’s Learning Center. When my school ends in June, I intend to make the 22 hour flight to the capital Kathmandu, where I will spend a couple of days buying books and other materials to take up to Barpak. I will then take a seven-hour ride on a public bus, followed by a couple more hours of uphill hike, through rugged mountainous trails to get to the village of Barpak.
I will work with community leaders who are involved in rebuilding Barpak (who I am already in contact with) to initially turn a tent into a temporary learning center for children. I will work with local carpenters to design and build bookshelves and tables that are child-friendly. They can be used inside the tent, and later moved to the library. I will also work with local weavers and tailors to create cushions and floor seating appropriate for children.
Over the next four weeks, I will work with younger children to put together the library and learning center, featuring books from a variety of genres for children of different ages and reading abilities. I will work with older children in Barpak to organize events such as read-alouds, book based play performances and character act-outs. We will also work on activities such as making bookmarks, book covers and writing small stories – all to encourage children to learn to love learning.
When the (planned) building for the community center is ready, all of the children’s things will be moved to a more permanent location. The community will then continue to maintain and build on the small initiative started this summer.
Join me in helping build a learning center for earthquake-affected children in Barpak village. Please help me reach my goal of raising at least $5,000 by the end of May!
* All of the money raised will go to the "Barpak Children’s Learning Center" fund.
* All activities will be carried out in consultation with the village elders AND the children of Barpak
* I will travel with a responsible adult, who will help me make sure that all the money raised is spent well.
* I will live in the village of Barpak for a month in the summer of 2016 and blog about this experience.
* I will send weekly email updates about the progress of the work and how the money is being spent.
Thank you.
-- All pictures: Mallika Aryal
