The village of Chumchet is located at an altitude of 3,260 meters and is mostly inhabited by the Lama Bhoto ethnic group, who, like most of the inhabitants of the Tsum Valley, adhere to Buddhism. Most locals are of Tibetan origin and due to the remoteness and inaccessibility of the region, their unique culture has remained intact for centuries.

Chumchet’s school was severely damaged in the earthquake, and the roof and most of the walls, including the doors and windows, had to be replaced. First, some of the material was hauled up to the village by mules – a journey of several days – and the boards and stones were shod by hand. Then the hardworking villagers put up the walls and wooden frames within mere weeks. The floors, roof and interior were also completed in record time, allowing the school to reopen already in May 2016 – what a great achievement!

The new school building with three classrooms, a library and additional toilets was built on dry stone masonry with wooden beams. Great care was taken to build the school in an earthquake-resistant way to prevent the building from collapsing in the event of another disaster. This means that concrete or wooden strips with interconnected corner boards were inserted every 50cm. The result is a beautiful, stable building made of local materials, in which 20 students have been benefitting from regular classes.