Schweizerische EidgenossenschaftConfederation suisseConfederazione SuisseConfederaziun svizra

Swiss Agency for Development

and Cooperation SDC

More than 11,000 children go back to school

Education in Pakistan was hit hard during the 2010 floods

when countless school buildings were damaged or

destroyed across the country. As Swat, Charsadda and

Nowshera in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) were the worst

affected districts, it was logical for the SDC to focus its

school rehabilitation and reconstruction programme on

this region. So far, the SDC has built four transitional

school structures and seven disaster-resistant school

buildings in Swat; it also rehabilitated 45 schools,

including their sanitary facilities, in Charsadda and

Nowshera.

With this programme, more than 11,000 children have

been provided with the education they were threatened

to lose. “It's amazing to see how popular our schools are,”

said SDC's Humanitarian Aid coordinator, Ernesto

Morosin, after a visit to the Upper Swat Valley.

Tribal leaders, elders'

councils and local

residents were also

involved in the land-

purchasing process as

some of the schools

had to be constructed on new land, which was mostly

privately-owned. “We had to negotiate with the

communities and convince them to rebuild the schools in

the heart of their villages for safety reasons,” says

Morosin. Without the strong commitment and the fruitful

collaboration between the communities and the SDC, this

project would not have been possible.

My school, my responsibility

With support of the United Nations Information Center

and the Government of KP, the SDC has also launched a

campaign to make children more aware of the value of

their schools. Through banners, a booklet highlighting

the 'Dos' and 'Don'ts' and training sessions in SDC-

intervened schools, pupils are taught how to maintain

their schools and keep them neat and tidy.

Plans for the future

Maintaining its momentum, the SDC has committed to

construct 14 additional schools with 60 new classrooms

for 3,000 pupils in Swat, and rehabilitate another 15

damaged schools for 4,000 schoolchildren in Charsadda

and Nowshera by mid-2015. Concerning land purchase,

efforts undertaken by the SDC and communities have

facilitated the process and provincial authorities have

now made a commitment to steer the land acquisition

process themselves. By continuing this programme, the

SDC ensures a better education for the future generation

of the flood-affected districts of KP.

Further information

SDC Cooperation Office, House 3, Street 3, F 6/3, Islamabad

Phone: +92 51 22 79 280

Fax: +92 51 28 24 872

E-mail: islamabad@eda.admin.ch

https://www.fdfa.admin.ch/pakistan

Girls enjoying their break at a SDC school in Badalai in Swat district©SDC

Partners for School Rehabilitation/Reconstruction

Ÿ Education Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Ÿ Provincial Disaster & Management Authority (PDMA)

Ÿ University of Engineering and Technology (UET)

Ÿ UNICEF

Ÿ UN Information Center

November 2014

Reconstruction of Flood-

Affected Schools

“The kids are very keen to go

to our schools and enrolment

is much higher than expected.”

Ernesto Morosin, SDC

Humanitarian Aid Coordinator

Time Frame: July 2012 to June 2015

Total Budget: CHF 3.3 million

Geographic Focus: Swat, Nowshera & Charsadda in KP

Achievements: Ÿ 7 new schools

Ÿ 4 transitional schools

Ÿ 45 rehabilitated schools

Ÿ 11,000 childrengo back to school

Reconstruction of flood-affected schools November 2014