Tibet. The children at the Wakha school eat outside in the mud seated on rocks and logs. This situation is really dangerous most of all in the winter when the temperature is extremely low.
In Qinghai province the study of Tibetan language and culture is increasingly at risk. The rate of illiteracy and school dropouts in the areas inhabited by nomads are very high and the cultural impoverishment of the new generation of Tibetans is becoming more and more marked.
For this reason the Wakha school is essential to ensure the right to education of the children of the nomadic Tibetan community living on the grasslands at 3500 meters of altitude.
Wakha is one of the few rural schools in the province, although the school is not able to adequately accommodate all its pupils.
In 2012 ASIA intervened and completed a new building for classrooms and staff offices, and equipped it with all the necessary teaching materials. The new classrooms – designed combining traditional Tibetan architecture with green building techniques – ensure quality primary education to Tibetan children, preserving their language and their culture. Currently they are also completing the dormitories to accommodate the 127 students who are enrolled.
The school, however, is not yet able to fully satisfy the quality standards and specifications that meet the needs of the young students.
The lack of toilets increases the risk of spreading oral-fecal diseases and forces students and teachers to open defecation, spreading bacteriological risk to nearby villages due to natural drainage resulting from rain and snow. The school also lacks showers or hot water points where the children can wash and improve their hygiene.
The lack of a wire fence or protective wall increases the risk of attacks by wild animals and the increasing number of stray dogs approaching populated areas in search of food and prey.
Finally, but perhaps the most urgent element today is the lack of an adequate kitchen and a place to eat and to store supplies. This means that children are forced to eat in the classrooms or in the open air, and that the cooks are affected by the fumes arising from the combustion of charcoal and coal. This causes serious cardio-respiratory problems to the staff and young students.
Today the students eat in the middle of the mud sitting on rocks and logs. This situation not only represents a great risk to the health and hygiene of young children during an important moment in their daily routine, but a real danger particularly in the winter months, when the temperature is extremely low. A canteen and a kitchen that meet the minimum standards of hygiene are very important and urgent.
To help the children at the Wakha school you can join this project with different types of donation:
10 euros to donate a set of dishes to a child
50 euros to contribute to the purchase of equipment for the refectory
300 euros to participate in the construction of the kitchen and refectory
To help the Wakha children watch the video and join the project – click on the link
