Photo: Nepal flood-affected classroom © UNICEF/UN0919344/Upadhayay
In the aftermath of a disaster, the most urgent needs are easy to recognize: food, clean water, shelter, and safety. When regular life is uprooted, basic needs feel uncertain, and routines are entirely disrupted. Recovery can begin in unexpected places—for a child, it might begin with a classroom. And for children in northern Nepal, getting back to school has taken on an entirely new meaning.
After flooding hit northern Nepal on August 26, thousands of children were left without the classrooms, supplies, and stability that had supported their education. Schools were damaged or destroyed, others became temporary shelters, and families suddenly faced the challenge of rebuilding their lives while trying to keep their children learning.
Education Cannot Wait (ECW) is working to prevent that temporary disruption from becoming permanent. With a new US$1 million emergency commitment, the global fund aims to help children return to safe learning environments as quickly as possible.
This commitment is expected to reach approximately 17,000 children across Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading. Of those, 5,000 will receive education and protection support, while another 12,000 will benefit from disaster risk reduction initiatives developed to make communities and learning environments more resilient.
Communities rely on schools. A safe learning environment upholds routine and provides children with access to trusted adults and support services when normal life is upended.
“Nepal’s children are resilient, but they should not be left to recover from this disaster alone,” said Maysa Jalbout, Director of Education Cannot Wait. “For children whose classrooms have been damaged or turned into shelters, returning to learning is an essential part of recovery.”
Classrooms in Crisis
According to the Nepal Flash Appeal, 29 schools have been affected: nine were severely damaged or destroyed, 12 were partially damaged, and eight have taken on an entirely different role, becoming temporary shelters for more than 1,200 displaced people. Another 69 schools, with approximately 18,900 students enrolled, are within 500 metres of the flood corridor.
Rebuilding classrooms is only part of the challenge. An estimated 70,000 students and teachers across affected communities may require mental health and psychosocial support as they cope with the aftermath of the disaster. With the monsoon season not yet over and winter approaching in the upper corridor, creating safe, reliable places to learn is all the more crucial.
On top of that, Nepal has achieved near-universal primary school enrolment, a hard-won accomplishment that could be at risk with prolonged disruption. The longer children remain away from school, the more difficult returning can become, particularly for families simultaneously rebuilding homes, livelihoods, and day-to-day lives.
“Education is a priority in Nepal’s recovery efforts,” said Nilkantha Dhakal, Director of the Department of Education, Ministry of Education and Sports. “We welcome the support of ECW in helping children whose schools have been damaged or destroyed to resume their learning without delay, in safe, inclusive, and protective environments.”
Education in the Aftermath
ECW specializes in providing rapid and flexible funding for education in emergencies, working with governments, UN agencies, civil society organizations, and other partners to keep children learning through conflict, displacement, and climate-related disasters.
Its response in Nepal comes only weeks after the flood and shortly after the Flash Appeal outlined the scale of humanitarian needs.
The US$1 million allocation represents an important first step, but funding gaps remain. Nepal’s education sector requires US$3.5 million under the Flash Appeal, part of a larger US$49.6 million humanitarian appeal to reach 84,270 people. ECW is calling on governments, foundations, and private-sector partners to help close that gap.
As climate-related disasters become an increasingly frequent source of disruption for children around the world, education systems must be prepared not only to recover, but to withstand future shocks.
Through its Hope Starts Here replenishment campaign, ECW is seeking to mobilize US$600 million to reach 10 million children and adolescents affected by conflict, climate emergencies, and displacement. A High-Level Replenishment Conference scheduled for November 5 will seek additional commitments to that effort.
Rebuilding Nepal’s schools will take time, just as replacing books and supplies will take resources. Helping children process what they have experienced may take longer still—but restoring safe places to learn can be one of the strongest first steps forward.
Source: ECW
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