Hi everyone,

 

I’ve been volunteering as an English teacher at a hilltop school in Nepal called Heaven Hill Academy for the past few weeks. The school welcomes about 170 students from kindergarten to 7th grade and is one of the first schools in Nepal to offer free and non-violent education to students regardless of their caste. 

Offering free education to rural children breaks the boundaries of segregation and class society enforced in Nepal by the caste system and differing financial and social backgrounds. The school gives poor and lower-caste Nepalese access to quality education, including the so-called “untouchables," which make up 50% of inhabitants in his area. Most importantly, the school founder, Shamser Thapa, fights for the abolition of hitting practices in schools because they violate the dignity of the children and create a negative learning environment that inhibits the development of self-esteem and self-empowerment. Shamser’s school is the first school in Nepal to abandon traditional authoritarian teaching methods.

 

Shamser is very engaged in the local community, and his efforts with the school are driving real change, despite opposition from some government authorities that want to uphold traditional teaching practices. For this work, Shamser has been nominated as a top 50 finalist of the Global Teaching Prize.

 

The students and the community here are truly amazing and have made me feel very welcome. Kids will run up to me on my evening walks just to speak English and ask questions, and locals invite me to their homes for tea, eager to learn about life outside Nepal.

 

However, the main challenge the school faces is a lack of funding. I am now trying to raise funds to help complete the construction of a library for the school, which will house not only books, but also computers which are rare in the community. Both students and local community members will have the opportunity to learn computer skills, which will open opportunities to them for the future.

Completing the library will cost roughly $2,000, and any funds raised over this amount will go towards outfitting the library with books, computers (so the kids no longer need to learn about computers from a textbook!) and other materials.

 

The school children are so excited and would really benefit from additional resources. Please consider donating to this amazing community in need of your help!

 

With gratitude,

Meredith Popolo