On the 17th of March, the primary and MYP sections of SIS took part in the ‘Walk for Nepal’.

This particular annual event helps us raise awareness about the children in Nepal, specifically, the children at Shila Devi School. Children at Shila Devi School live in different parts of the region, and while some students can walk to school in 10 minutes, others have to walk for a full 45 minutes. The current school of Shila Devi only has classes up to grade 5, which means that children wishing to continue on must walk to a different village every day. As you might guess, not many children wish to do so. The parents also want them to stay at home instead of travelling far away every day. This results in a lower literacy rate which in turn limits their opportunities.

Filip K., in 9P said, “I feel that everyone should get the same educational opportunities, no matter where they live. However, some living conditions act as large barriers to their future opportunities, and I feel this is a very unfortunate thing.”

The Walk for Nepal event raises awareness of the troubles the children are experiencing, and at the same time, raises funds to build on to the school  at Shila Devi so it can accommodate classes up to grade 8. This will help the families and children in Nepal immensely, because it will allow children to continue learning without having to walk so far.

This year’s Walk for Nepal took place at  Humlegården, Stockholm. Each class departed the SIS grounds to walk towards the park, effectively warming up our bodies. When we arrived, we started to walk around the park, one by one. Grade 1-3 walked 2km, and grades 4 and onwards walked a full 5km. We were all very tired by the time we finished walking, mostly because it was warm weather. Some of the students even ran the whole time, effectively experiencing and understanding what it is like for the Nepali students who are late for school. For many of us it is hard to imagine walking as far as the Nepali students do every single school day.

After walking, we visited booths manned by students and parents. Treats such as face-painting, tattoos, and food could be purchased, and many of us had incredible fun around the booths. The money raised will go  directly to the Shila Devi School, help pay for the new building for more classes.

After a day of walking, the students at SIS ended the day, more aware of the how life is different for others around the world. According to Giordan Y, we were able to raise a humongous amount of money during the day — just under 9000kr!