Namaste and Hello to all the YESS-members I met during my stay last year.

It was my first return to Nepal after 14 years and I was both exited and curious about it. So much had happened to your country during the previous decade. What had changed, and what had remained the same? What would I still be able to recognize from my earlier trip?

In the early nineties I came from Vienna/Austria to Helambu to conduct some anthropological field research. My studies also lead me to Sermathang and there I got to know the English-medium school in the village. At that time the school was housed in today’s trekking check-post building. But the ambitious new school project of the Yangrima Boarding School (YBS) was already under way and construction work had started. Since my research about the Yolmo- people dealt partly with education as an important factor of rural development, I spent some weeks in Sermathang as well. During that period I was asked to help out with teaching, which provided me with an interesting insight into the running of a village school. The commitment of the teachers, the eagerness of the students and the enthusiasm of the entire community about the new school buildings high up on the hill above the village, was really impressive.

After returning home I couldn’t forget the school and, with the help of the school newsletter (published periodically over the years), followed the move to the newly-constructed boarding school campus, the manifold activities and undertakings of the ever-growing “Yangrima-family”. The content of the newsletter related the unparalleled success story of this grass-roots school project by and for a rural population in a remote area. At the advent of the internet era, YBS quickly embraced the new technology and started a homepage of its own. But suddenly there was no more news. At the same time the general news about the political situation in Nepal grew more and more alarming and I became worried about the welfare of my friends in Helambu, and hoped that they would get through the hardship of the political turmoil and insecurity unharmed. At the same time, I was afraid that the YBS (due to its organizational structure) had the potential to become a victim of Maoist attacks. For years I had no information about YBS.

Finally, I was able to arrange a visit to Nepal again and tried to find out about Yangrima via the internet. I stumbled upon the YESS-homepage and found my worst fears confirmed - I was shocked but nor surprised. Later I grew sad and angry that YBS no longer existed. An international community, of locals, supporters and volunteers from abroad, had worked together to keep this unique project alive for so many years, and hundreds of local students had had the chance to receive a comprehensive, high quality education – a fact still not taken for granted in Nepal. Finally the entire region benefited in many ways from the school project in Sermathang. At one blow – within seconds - everything was destroyed and the future prospects of students and teachers alike were called into question.

But I also learned that YESS planned to reopen the YBS. How far had these plans been realized? I wanted to know more, so I got in touch with YESS and after my arrival in Kathmandu I headed for Helambu. Nima, the only student I knew from the times of my research, was now grown up and he, and his friend Nono, accompanied me to the village. The Nara-festival was approaching and I was looking forward to join in the festive occasion.

With a bunch of village youths and former students I climbed up the hill through the jungle to the former campus. When we forced our way through the overgrown area, peering into empty classrooms, the students told me about the glorious days when the playgrounds echoed with laughter or noisy experiments in the science lab, when students were busy maintaining flowerbeds, or planting trees and gathering wood for outdoor bonfire lessons during wintertime. Whilst we strolled around the mossy classrooms now devoid of window frames and door panels, inspecting former hostel buildings and the large assembly hall, slowly a picture emerged in my mind about how it all had been in those happier times.

Back in the village, members of the newly-formed school management committee led me around the ground floor of an old Gompa, which now stored newly-made furniture: tables and benches, shelves, as well as door panels and window frames meant to furnish and restore the devastated school-buildings. This encouraging sight convinced me that the planned re-opening of YBS was definitely underway.

I talked to several villagers and ex-students in Sermathang about how they experienced the destruction of the school and the time thereafter. Back in Boudha I had the pleasure to interview more ex-students – among them celebrities of the YESS-community (the marathon athlete and the Students Award Winner 2006) – two ex-teachers and trustee-members. Most striking in all of my conversations was the expressed emotional attachment of all my interview partners to YBS, thus proving that the time spent at this school was a sustaining and very special period of their lives. YBS had opened up a unique opportunity for them to base their future lives on a solid foundation. That seems to be the reason behind their strongly felt commitment to contribute their share to the reopening of the YBS; to enable future generations to receive a high quality school education in a remote area.

My own small contribution to this end will be to write an article for a magazine, to make this unique and interesting project known to a wider audience in my own country in Europe. If my report can help to initiate additional support for your project, I will have achieved more than I was hoping for.
Finally, a big thank you to all those people who answered my questions so patiently and who introduced me so warmly to the YESS-community: especially Nima, Dhindup and Neema, (whose company I enjoyed so much at lunchtimes).

Fond wishes,
Eva Schwab – Vienna, Austria

Dear Friends of YESS
Congratulation for making success of our Long Term project "Reopening of Yangrima".You met the challenge with determination, strength, and total confidence! Now many of children who are deprived of education due to financial hardship will have chance to go to school and make their future.
Congratulation once again and have a great celebration of New Year together with Grand Opening of our school.
Best wishes
Mendo Lama
Denmark

Congratulation!!! I am very happy to know that Yangrima has re-opened. YESS never say No and finally we achieved what we deserved.
I could not attend the grand opening ceremony but my wishes are always there.
I wish a very HAPPY NEW YEAR 2066 B.S and to all YESS members. Have a great year ahead.
Congratulation, once again and have great opening ceremony.

Diki Lama
YESS Member
South Korea

Hi,
It is now 7 years since I moved to the UK. Life has been very busy; starting a new family, children, jobs –and accepting different roles my children put me into these days. It is a great joy to see Samden, Asha and Naomi grow and learn new things every day. Nima and Theo are now old enough to fly (on their own) from Denmark.