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Why Lombok?

During July and August of 2018, the northern regions of the island of Lombok, Indonesia, were struck by several major earthquakes, which caused hundreds of deaths and massive damage to houses and public infrastructure, including more than 700 school buildings. In the months that followed, the government, various NGOs, and private stakeholders began to rebuild and renovate some schools. Despite these efforts, there are still many schools trying to function without adequate learning spaces or facilities.

 

In the aftermath of the earthquakes, Classroom of Hope supported the building of 23 Pop-Up Schools with our local partner Pelita Foundation, which helped approximately 4,000 children get back into education.

 

The Pop-Up Schools were a temporary measure. There is still an urgent need to get thousands of children back into permanent schools. With so much rebuilding left to do on Lombok, it was an obvious decision that the island would be home to the Block School pilot project.