The U.S. Government inaugurated the first of seven new permanent schools being constructed through U.S. support. These seven school reconstruction projects are the first wave of a $10 million U.S. Government effort to rebuild 15 primary and secondary schools across 14 districts most affected by the 2015 earthquakes, in partnership with the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA), the Ministry of Education, and Asian Development Bank (ADB).

According to a press release issued by U.S. Embassy in Nepal, the new schools are a tangible step in support of Nepal building back safer, and demonstrate the U.S. Government’s strong and sustained commitment to help Nepal recover from the earthquakes. Representatives from the NRA, Ministry of Education, and ADB joined U.S. Ambassador Alaina B. Teplitz in inaugurating the start of the construction phase of the program.

“This is our opportunity to rebuild stronger than before, making sure that each school is seismically safe, in order to protect the lives Nepali children,” said Ambassador Teplitz.

According to a press release, since the 2015 earthquakes, the United States has provided more than $170 million for earthquake response and recovery. Part of these funds helped homeowners rebuild over 2,500 homes to modern safety standards and to train more than 8,600 engineers, contractors, architects, masons, and carpenters on earthquake-resistant construction techniques. U.S. support also helped establish over 1,000 temporary learning centers and provided critical school materials that helped over 93,000 students resume their education with minimal disruption following the earthquakes.