‘If the school closed, I’d have to walk two hours to another school,’ says Suman, 9, a pupil at his local primary school. ‘I’d have to cross a river and climb a hill. It’s very far.’

Suman’s home is in Sindhupalchok in rural Nepal, near the border with Tibet. ‘It’s a high-risk area,’ says Chandra, the local community leader. ‘We are particularly prone to landslides. People live in danger every day. In our community, families have lost homes and people have died.’

The possibility of a four-hour daily trek across hills and mountains for young children like Suman is a significant risk.

‘The school was in a critical condition,’ Chandra explains. ‘Many pupils had to walk far to other schools.’ At that time there was just one teacher for the whole village, who was struggling to teach every subject to every child. ‘The government and local authorities have not given us enough support.’

With the school under threat of closure and no outside help, it seemed likely that children like Suman would have to risk their lives every day, just to get an education. It was time for the community to step up and fill the gap…

The change started when Chandra and members of his community took part in Tearfund’s Transforming Communities training. ‘We learnt about healthy families, community and society. We also learned that if someone in the village is struggling, the community must support them.’ That's why Chandra realised the school children needed their help and decided to step in.