by Thomas Hansen, Community Outreach Coordinator, and Scott Little, Grade Level Lead Teacher (Grades 11-12) -

When a devastating earthquake struck Nepal just over one year ago, the CIS community sprung into action and committed to a multi-phase action plan. The first phase of the plan took place immediately after the earthquake occurred, and included a school wide fundraiser for the Singapore Red Cross to provide immediate disaster relief in Nepal, as well as a symbolic gesture of support with the creation of Nepalese prayer flags that were hung in both of our campuses.

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For the second phase of our action plan, CIS has been focusing on raising awareness of life in Nepal, one year after the event. To aid in this, a group of secondary students visited the region during their excursion week in March, and worked alongside Mr. Bill Kite and his team with the Himalayan Health Project.

Mr. Kite, founder and coordinator of the Himalayan Health Project, visited CIS on Tuesday, 26 April to meet with Grades 4 to 8 students and demonstrate how the support of the CIS community has assisted in the recovery process in Nepal following the earthquake there in 2015.

The audience learnt how our Grade 11 students travelled to Nepal during excursion to work with the Himalayan Health Project in providing much needed medical care. Working collaboratively with expert medical teams from around the world, CIS students assisted in dental, vision and cancer screening clinics in Kathmandu. Additionally, students in grades 7 to 11 formed a Knitting for Nepal Club and produced 300 knitted hats that were donated to Nepalese school children during their visit.

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The audience also learnt how financial support over the past year from the CIS community has assisted in providing much needed supplies at various stages of the recovery process. Immediately after the earthquake, large plastic tarps were provided to assist the village of Lokhim in getting through the monsoon season. In December, over one hundred winter jackets and blankets were provided to assist villagers in surviving the harsh winter. Finally, this spring, major rebuilding supplies were sent to the village for distribution before the onset of the summer monsoon season. The supplies are being used in the construction of a large, steel roofed community hall where upwards of 100 people can live, prepare meals and bathe while they wait out the second monsoon season after the quake and the destruction of their homes.

While the interest of the media in covering the events in Nepal has faded over the past year, the support of the CIS community during this time has remained strong.