Wilhelm Vintilescu has been a sponsor of Education Nepal since the beginning, supporting our projects financially and participating in various events and campaigns throughout the years. As Education Nepal turned six years, he extended his sponsorship and donated
20 000 SEK to the organization. We met with Wilhelm to talk about what we have accomplished in the past, what the future has to bring, and why he has chosen to support our work.
Education Nepal started as a response to the devastating earthquake that shook the country in April 2015. Our founders Nicole Ruda and Elsa Risby had earlier spent time in the district of Lamjung as a part of a high school project in cooperation with Save the Children and the local organization Women Self Help Center. After returning to Sweden, they heard about the severe impact the earthquake had on the people, buildings and infrastructure in the area. The need for support to reconstruct what had been damaged during the earthquake led to the establishment of Education Nepal, aiming to support safe and adequate education for the children in Lamjung. In partnership with the local social business Build Up Nepal, we supported the construction of five new earthquake-resistant classrooms at Alaiche Kedar Primary School – all built by local engineers and villagers.
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We asked what motivated Wilhelm to support Back 2 school
“The earthquake in Nepal was devastating, impacting all of society. Children are especially affected by natural disasters like earthquakes, and I think that it is important that we all do what we can to ensure safe education for children all over the world. Education is a driver of society. Education Nepal’s mission to support a severely damaged school with new classrooms aligned with my values, and there was no doubt that I wanted to support this project”, he responds.
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On May 29th in 2019, the new classrooms were inaugurated. Teachers, students, parents and construction workers joined together to celebrate a new beginning. Machinery used for the construction – such as the press for earth bricks – was donated to local entrepreneurs to support further re-construction in the area. Today, Education Nepal works to support the school with new furniture and a playground through the project Back 2 School.
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As the work to support primary education continues, the scope of our mission has expanded
The Women’s Enterprise Initiative project focuses on financially supporting the education and training of future women entrepreneurs within the area of construction. We asked Wilhelm for his thoughts on the expanded focus area.
“I was very happy to hear about this new focus area. I know that all of Education Nepal’s projects and campaigns have been based on local requests and knowledge, and this is an important factor for me when I choose which organizations to support. I know that my donation will go to what it is intended to and that it will have a multiplying effect on society. Women are often the ones holding the households together, especially in countries with a high number of migrant workers. By supporting women with educational opportunities in construction and entrepreneurship, new opportunities emerge within the whole society. New safe buildings are constructed, gender barriers are dismantled, job opportunities created, role models are supported – the multiplying impacts of this projects are so many, and it makes me very happy to support it”, he says.
Our work has been possible throughout the years thanks to the support of our sponsors and individuals like Wilhelm. Together we have made a difference and will continue to work on increasing and improving educational opportunities in Nepal.
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Do you want to support our work?
By donating or becoming a sponsor, you are a part of building stronger communities in Nepal. You are a part of making sure that the students of Alaiche Kedar Primary School have a safe, comfortable, and fun learning environment, and that more women like Kopila and Sangita can get the support needed to start and run their businesses. Your support is needed to make this happen.
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