Think Design Magazine January 2012 feature

IN A STORY THAT COMBINES GIVING WITH CLEVER BUILDING METHODS, THE KARUNA-SHECHEN CHARITY ORGANIZATION IN NEPAL HAS PARTNERED WITH THE LOCAL ORGANIZATION, SAMATA SHIKSHA NIKETAN, TO BUILD SEVEN BAMBOO SCHOOLS, PROVIDING QUALITY EDUCATION TO A LARGE NUMBER OF STUDENTS, WITH HALF OF THEM BEING GIRLS, SOMETHING QUITE UNUSUAL IN THAT PART OF THE WORLD. WHAT MAKES THIS UNIQUE IS THAT THROUGH THE INNOVATIVE USE OF BAMBOO AS A BUILDING MATERIAL, COSTS HAVE BEEN REDUCED AND CONSTRUCTION TIMES HAVE BEEN CUT IN HALF. For those unfamiliar with the advantages of bamboo construction, bamboo as a building material is strong, earthquake resistant, abundant, and inexpensive. Using bamboo lowers construction costs by a staggering 60%. One school can be completed in just four to six months for a total cost of $110,000. So far, Karuna-Shechen has funded Bamboo Schools in various regions of Nepal and the long-term goal is to build a Bamboo School in each of Nepal’s 75 districts. Karuna-Shechen plans on building three schools a year in order to meet this goal and it is fantastic to note that the results obtained by their students are consistently above the national average. These children, who would not otherwise be able to attend any school due to poverty or location, are given the opportunity to thrive in an atmosphere that teaches benevolence, cooperation, dedication, truthfulness and commitment to peace. There is currently a need to hire additional teachers for schools in remote areas where there are as many as 40 students in a classroom. Karuna-Shechen is raising funds to be able to provide these teacher’s salaries. Nepal’s extreme poverty and the lack of a government infrastructure deprive many Nepali children of an education. These children, especially girls who are rarely allowed to attend school, have little hope for a better future. The first Bamboo School opened in Jorpati in 2001 and now has 4,000 pupils and 100 teachers. It was soon followed by more schools providing an education to over 30,000 children (over half of whom are girls) and in 2011 Karuna-Shechen supported the construction of the first Bamboo College. As mentioned bamboo’s use as the main construction material, along with corrugated iron roofs, lowers the construction budget significantly.

Article continued at: http://www.thinkdesignmagazine.com/Architecture/bambooschools

Donations can be given at www.karuna-shechen.org