Quake-hit school set to reopen

Published on Thursday 2 October 2008 09:55

A PAKISTANI school rebuilt by the people of Edinburgh is set to open on the third anniversary of the earthquake which destroyed much of the region.

In October 2005, the massive quake killed 75,000 in the country's north-western province, destroying entire villages and hundreds of key buildings.

But thanks to a fundraising campaign in the Capital, around 25,000 was raised and the school in the village of Kohley, in the Siran Valley, was rebuilt.

Three years on, the building will be officially opened next Wednesday.

The fundraising drive was staged by the Edinburgh Pakistan Society in conjunction with city-based relief charity Mercy Corps, and it now means the 75 pupils do not have to be educated in a tent.

It is understood a plaque will also be put in place notifying pupils, teachers and visitors that the school was provided by donations collected in Edinburgh.

Mercy Corps said that teachers used to tutoring in little more than an open field would now have the benefits of a modern building with vastly improved facilities.

Mervyn Lee, Mercy Corps executive director, said: "Mercy Corps is delighted that the Kohley village school has now been completed, thanks to the generosity of the Edinburgh Pakistan Society.

"The school will make a real difference to the community and it symbolises how life is slowly returning to normal since the devastating earthquake of 2005."

The money raised will also pay for school materials and a workforce to educate in the area.

The devastating natural disaster – measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale – wiped out the village, as well as numerous others, and Mercy Corps was one of the first aid organisations on the scene.

The city's Pakistan Society then called on its 500 members across the Lothians to help out.

Due to geographical difficulties and unpredictable weather conditions, it has taken some time for the school to get the all-clear.