Bhairavi Basic School

Shree Bhairavi Primary School is located in the isolated mid-hill village of Gaumati in Benighat, Dhading District, Nepal. The village is inhabited by the Magar community, who primarily make their living through agriculture. The 175 families living in the village come from poor economic backgrounds and face limited employment opportunities. In addition to agriculture, some residents also engage in animal husbandry and small cottage industries such as bamboo processing and wooden craftsmanship. Despite the importance of education, some families in the village prioritize employment for their children over schooling and may choose to have them work in household tasks or agriculture instead. This is a common issue in rural areas of Nepal, where access to education is not always readily available or highly valued.

Despite the lack of value placed on education by some in the community, a group of young people in the village who believed in the importance of education established Shree Bhairavi Primary School in 1995. The school was originally held under a mango tree and had very basic infrastructure. However, the teachers were dedicated to getting as many children as possible to attend school, recognizing the importance of education for the development and progress of the entire community.

In 2007, COYON in association with Hanuman Onlus recognized the urgent need for a major reconstruction of Shree Bhairavi Primary School due to the dilapidated state of the previous building and the lack of teaching equipment. As a result, we decided to build five new classrooms and provide all necessary materials for the teachers and students.