Eighteen Acronis employees are embarking on a trek from November 2-9, 2019. Together, they will begin construction of a school in the village of Rajipur Chaumala (Bagdola), Kailali District in the far west Terai region of Nepal. Similar to construction experience in Senegal last year, these volunteers will be digging, picking, sifting, mixing concrete and bricks, carrying water, and tying rebar to make a new school into a reality.
Photo: Acronis volunteers going on a trek to Nepal
This year’s Acronis volunteers come from all over the world, including Singapore, El Salvador, the USA, Bulgaria, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia, and Italy. All of the travel-related expenses for these volunteers are shared by Acronis and the employees, themselves. This ensures all available funds raised for the school are dedicated to its construction.
But as Acronis sets about creating and spreading knowledge through its educational initiatives in underprivileged communities, school construction isn’t the only activity the team will take part in. The volunteers will join in intercultural workshops, talks, and games, inspiring children and their parents to pursue the rewarding challenge of education.
The school the team is helping to build will serve 122 children: 59 boys and 63 girls. The village currently has an old wooden school building but its roof leaks, making studies impossible during monsoon season. Moreover, there are no sanitary facilities in the school and the whole building is no longer safe for use.
Photo: Unsplash
Once the trek is over, the Acronis team will return to their homes and the Rajipur Chaumala locals will continue the building process. The community is primarily agricultural, growing rice and wheat is the main source of livelihood there. Locals also go abroad to earn some money, mainly to India, as the village is only 20 km away from the border with it.
Thereafter, the community will be responsible for maintaining the school in a proper condition after construction works are completed in September 2020.
