Outlanderings

Phuleli Lower Secondary School

Phuleli is a small, remote village of about 500 people in the Solukhumbu District. Poverty is a major problem here, as is access to education. The residents are primarily indigenous Rai, and all must farm to survive. The 40 percent of residents who do not own their own land for farming must do so on rented plots.

Currently, the village has one six-room Primary School that houses grades 1 through 5. The Higher Secondary School that houses grades 8 through 12 is located in Nunthala, an hour walk from Phuleli. Right now, the village is using a community building located high up on the mountaintop to house grades 6 and 7. This is problematic for several reasons. First, the teachers must split their time between the lower and higher campus and commuting time takes away from their classroom presence. Second, the community building currently being used is located on a dangerous ridge, which is susceptible to cold winds and is very difficult to get to, especially for young children.

Edge of Seven, in partnership with The Small World, will build a two-room school building on the lower campus to house the 75 students in grades 6 and 7, unifying the village campus and increasing classroom time for all students. The goal is to build the extension using earthbag construction, a more earthquake resistant method that also requires trekking in fewer building supplies to the village, which is only accessed by a 10 hour walk from the district headquarters of Salleri.

The Phuleli Lower Campus is seen below, while the Community Building used for grades 6 and 7 is located at the top of the hill.