Quake-levelled school in Nepal village rebuilt with Quebecers' help
Doctor raises funds to help village of her Sherpa guide, killed in 2015 quake
Two weeks ago, flowers and tea were prepared for a special celebration outside a newly rebuilt school in the isolated village of Chheskam, Nepal.
It was a moment of mixed emotions for Quebec cardiologist Dr. Marie-Kristelle Ross, who was making her first trip back to Nepal since the devastating earthquake on April 25, 2015.
Ross felt lucky to survive; she was at the first base camp on Mount Everest with her partner, Dr. Rob Casserly, when the quake struck.
It killed close to 9,000 people. Among them was her Nepalese Sherpa guide, Kumar Rai, who had become a close friend in their climbing expeditions.
Upon leaving Nepal, Ross and Casserly promised themselves they would find a way to give back to Kumar's family.
When Ross learned the quake also destroyed the school in Chheskam attended by Kumar's four children, she mobilized efforts back home to help.
'Blown away by generosity'
Ross launched a fundraising campaign in her hometown of Sept-Îles, Que., and in Lévis, where she now works, raising $30,000.
"I didn't know how much I was going to raise. I was thinking $5,000 or something, so I could do a little classroom in the school. But I was blown away by the generosity," Ross said in an interview with CBC's Quebec AM.
"It was a bit overwhelming at first because I didn't know I was embarking on such a big project."
With the help of a Nepalese friend in Kathmandu, Ross was able to put together plans to rebuild almost the entire school, with eight classrooms for its 400 students.
"She's the one who helped me rebuild everything, and we coordinated everything ourselves because there's a lot of corruption unfortunately," Ross said of her Nepalese friend.
"I wanted to make sure the money we had, every dollar, was going to do something."
Emotional return
Students returned to their classrooms this summer, after more than a year of holding classes outside, and only when weather permitted. Ross visited the school earlier this month.
"It was pretty emotional for me because not only was it the first time going back to Nepal after the disaster, it was also the first time I was meeting Kumar's wife (Debita). It was the first time meeting his family," she said.
"On top of that, there was the school. And it couldn't have been better. It was emotional but it was super positive."
Even though the school has been built, Ross said her relationship with Chheskam is far from over.
"I'm not sure how this will fall into place, but I strongly believe in education and in Nepal especially. It's probably one of the only ways to really give children an opportunity," she said.
"In Nepal, the money is in tourism so if you want to be in contact with tourists, you have to speak a little bit of English. So the next step in this project will be to hire teachers who can teach at least some basic English."
with files from Claudia Kedney-Bolduc