WHILE some schools in Nepal are a week away from reopening following two massive earthquakes, there will be no lessons for close to a million students.
THAT’S because 25,000 classrooms have been destroyed.
Monday marks one month since Nepal was struck by the first major tremor.
A second quake hit in mid-May and the overall death toll has climbed to more than 9000 people.
Australian aid worker Sarah Ireland has just returned to Melbourne after several weeks in Kathmandu where Save the Children has been busy setting up tents for use as temporary classrooms.
Some schools are set to reopen on May 31.
But the quakes have destroyed more than 25,000 classrooms, leaving 870,000 children unable to continue their education for the time being.
Getting kids back to school and hanging out with their friends is an important part of their healing process, Ms Ireland said.
It also gave their parents a break to focus on recovery efforts.
“Children aren’t sleeping at night, they’re wetting the bed or they’re being violent and disruptive as they are trying to process what they’ve been through,” she said.
The aid group is also helping to train teachers about coping with children’s trauma.
Meanwhile, Care Australia warns of a race against time to distribute emergency shelter ahead of heavy monsoon rains due in the next few weeks.
A second shipment of Australian relief supplies reached Kathmandu this week.
Shelter kits for 1000 families are being distributed in Gorkha and Sindhupalchowk districts which were hardest hit by the second quake.