KATHMANDU, U.S. Embassy in Nepal -- U.S. Ambassador to Nepal, Randy W. Berry, along with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Nepal Mission Director Sepideh Keyvanshad, handed over two secondary schools in Kathmandu, March 5, 2021. The small ceremony included the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) Chief Executive Officer, Sushil Gyewali, and the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Officer-in-chief, Sharad Bhandari.

The U.S. government, through USAID, has partnered with the NRA, and the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology to complete the reconstruction of 29 permanent schools in Nepal. Today’s event marks two more of those primary and secondary schools as ready for use.

During the event, Ambassador Berry said, “The U.S. government shares Nepal’s priority of getting children back in school. As part of this commitment, we partnered with the ADB and NRA to construct seismically safe, well-equipped, and child- and disabled-friendly schools. This reflects the longstanding and continued support of the American people to help rebuild a safer Nepal.”

Since the 2015 earthquakes, the U.S. government has invested more than $190 million in earthquake response and recovery. Our support has allowed children to continue to learn by establishing temporary learning facilities and by providing critical school materials to students and teachers. It has also built more than the physical infrastructure, which these two schools symbolize. These buildings also show the collaboration between USAID and the Government of Nepal to ensure every student in Nepal is entitled to quality education and a safe place to receive it.

This handover shows the United States’ continued commitment to support the Government of Nepal to build back better and ensure quality education and safety for Nepal’s children. For more than 70 years, the United States has had a strong and enduring partnership with Nepal, and we look forward to continuing our friendship.