REALISATIONS

The current situation
Year after year, our efforts give positive results: the school is flourishing, with nearly 130 pupils coming to class daily.
A new building housing three classrooms has just been finished. The refectory is also ready and was inaugurated last summer. Only tables and chairs are missing – the carpenter has been working on them throughout the winter. He is also going to build all the remaining furnishings: desks, benches, barriers...
The library is practically finished. One of the rooms has been set up to receive a thousand books. The other rooms currently serve as a classroom and administrative office.

Last summer we were fortunate enough to witness the digging of the well and see water – finally – make its way to the school. It will now be easier to work in the kitchen; better hygienic conditions for dishwashing, keeping children clean and toilets are now ensured. The water will also make it possible to plant flowers and trees, a formerly daunting task in this semi-arid climate.
We've decided to acquire a school bus. Up until now many children came to school by foot, sometimes from quite a distance, or by municipal bus, nearly always packed and not always accessible to children. The new bus will provide security and comfort, and we hope it will bring new students to the school.

The latest development is the new building under construction. It will provide lodgings for the guardian and offices for the director and professors, and there will be a meeting area for parents. The creation of a sports field is also underway.

Future perspectives: solar energy and boarding
The next big project is installing solar energy in the school. The electricity generated by solar panels will power the pump of the well (currently hand-operated). The school will finally have electric lights and children will have access to new technologies: audiovisual tools, computers, internet...

We are now studying the feasibility of introducing a boarding sector within school grounds in the long term. The preparatory work consists in defining the educational goals that will determine the architectural structure, as well as costs (construction, infrastructure, management).
A boarding school would give nomad children access to school. On-site quality and comfort would replace the need for pupils to stay with host families where problems have been known to arise. Providing a boarding option would also facilitate extracurricular studies and homework, since children in this region can't always study properly at home.

Association l'Ecole Dans le Ciel - Landrevie F-24290 Saint Léon sur Vézère
e-mail : edc@dhagpo-kagyu.org - web : http://edc.dhagpo-kagyu.org
tel: 33-5-53504966 - fax: 33-5-53508054