Mahadevsthaha School is nestled far from any accessible town in the hills of Dhading. Three years ago, before the earthquake there was no road to the village, but in the last year or so a path has been cut into the hills and bricks arrived for the construction of the new school building. In June 2015 Moving Mountain Nepal made their first donation, walking from a nearby village with volunteers carrying the rice sacks full of school bags to the children.

The journey from Kathmandu is less than 100km, but takes 6 hours, the last three along unpaved gravel and schist.

Mahadevsthaha School accessible only very recently by road with MMN vehicle topped with school bags and the new school with the blue roof.

Little has changed since then, apart from the new road. The community lives much as they did then on a subsistence level with farming as their primary occupation. A local stream flows through the settlement, providing power for a water mill (Pani Ghatta) where a circular stone constantly grinds rice and corn into flour. We saw only young mothers, children and old people as most young adults migrate to Kathmandu or seek work abroad.

The water mill, grinding corn and rice flour.

School children without school bags - waiting for the new bags.

Here the children suffer from malnutrition and parasites; their scalps with thinning hair are covered in head lice and eggs. Their bodies and clothes are unwashed. The new school building is not yet complete, but soon these children will have a safe and well lit place to study.

Children in these poorest of communities rarely have access or funds to buy school bags and Moving Mountain Nepal's donation day comes as a real surprise. These children rushed to put their books into the new bags as soon as they received them.

Moving Mountain Nepal team were warmly welcomed by the community, honoured with colourful garlands of flowers from the local environment, vermillion power 'tika' on our foreheads and given a meal of puffed rice and fried chicken with a warm drink of a local berry juice.