This is where we started back In 2009, when Founders Fionna Heiton and Durga Aran, travelled with their young children to the village of Sangachok Nursery, determined to make a difference. They had raised enough funds to build a purpose built Early Childhood Centre, not realising just how big the dream was going to grow!
“We borrowed a jeep and drove up to Sangachok Nursery each day from the hillside town of Dulikhel. Our days were long, hot and dusty. Our children were a great help at sweeping out dusty classrooms in the borrowed classroom from the school. The need was so clear and we knew that simple activities could make a world of difference for the children.”
The first ECD started with just three children who were totally unaccustomed to play based learning. With the patience of the teacher, the children started to respond and by the second day more children started arriving. Soon parents from the entire village were lining up to enrol their children.
By 2010, the purpose built ECD was ready comprising two large spacious classrooms and a library generously funded by the Yusef Abubaker Memorial Trust. Soon classes were full each day and children aged 3-5 discovered quality play based learning.
Within a few weeks of opening, headteachers from schools in nearby villages were arriving asking for our help. in 2010, we reached out to five more communities introducing play based learning.
Sadly the 2015 earthquakes devastated the village of Sangachok Nursery and much of the surrounding area. Children had to learn in Temporary learning centres which were cramped and not conducive to our methods. However, First Steps Himalaya led the way in the earthbag rebuild of classrooms creating a new early childhood centre with a separate play group for under 3’s, a teacher training centre with its own accommodation building.
Some of our other most Successful Projects
Jitpur
We have been supporting Jitpur School since 2010. Once a typical dirty and broken down rural school in our Founder. Durga Aran’s own village, this school has been completely transformed over the years. With dedicated teachers and a brand new building, Jitpur prides itself in being clean and tidy and working towards being a model school.
Siranchour
The classic example of how a tiny basic village school, can be transformed with teacher training and some simple learning materials. As you enter this little school with just four classrooms, you can immediately tell that it offers a nurturing and caring environment run by teachers passionate about what they do.
MULKHARKA
Destroyed in the 2015 earthquake, Mulkharka School was rebuilt by First Steps Himalaya in 2016. The children now enjoy spacious classrooms and a library. Read more about our school building projects here.
