Kathmandu: US and Nepal have increased
their cooperation in rebuilding infrastructure, including
schools destroyed by the floods in the country`s Terai plains
bordering India.
Rehabilitating and developing small-scale community
infrastructure, including schools, has been an integral part
of US Agency for International Development?s Flood Recovery
programme (USAID) to rebuild the lives of the flood-affected
people.
Two schools in Bara district in southern Nepal, which
were built under the US assistance, was inaugurated by the US
Ambassador to Nepal Scott H. DeLisi today.
Shree Poshan Laljit Nepal National Lower Secondary
School and Nepal National Primary School along with eight
additional schools in Bara and Parsa district were built and
furnished by the USAID.
"I am pleased to see US government assistance going
into building better school facilities for children and
creating a more conducive and dignified learning environment,
because education is fundamental for national progress, DeLisi
said.
This USD 6.5 million effort, funded by USAID and
implemented by Fintrac Inc., was initially designed to respond
to the 2007 floods within six districts of the Central and
Western Terai and it was subsequently expanded to Sunsari and
Kanchanpur following the severe floods in 2008, according to
the US Embassy.
Under the programme, an integrated package of
development assistance is being provided to total 76 Village
Development Committees throughout the 8 districts, the embassy
said in a press release.
Till today, the programme has completed 89
infrastructure projects, creating employment opportunities and
boosting local economies.
Besides this, it has contributed to increasing farmer
productivity and income, improving awareness of sanitation,
nutrition, gender and protection issues, and strengthening
local organizations by expanding participation among youth and
vulnerable populations.
The project will directly benefit over 486,061 people
in the southern Nepal, the embassy said.
PTI
