The Story

Mark’s connection with the Himalayan region began 19 years ago. His love of the mountain environments, culture and traditions, and the generosity and hospitality of the people has kept him returning to the Himalayas in Northern India, Tibet and Nepal. “I think the people of this region are pretty special… Their hearts are as big as the mountains that dominate their landscape” Mark says in the film.

Although there is poverty, there is an affluence that goes beyond material wealth. Life revolves around substance farming and there is ample food in many villages. Community and family bonds are strong, and there is a selflessness about the people that is made apparent throughout the film.

The film goes on to discuss the pre-earthquake context, how life in the village can be tough for children, and how the quality of education at government schools is generally very poor. Many schools are seriously underfunded and school attendance has been unequal across income and gender groups, due to poverty.

Mark says that if he was ever asked for money, it was usually for a donation to help out the local school. “I was thinking is there some way I could help?”

In 2011, an opportunity presented itself to help one school in Nepal that really wanted to use computers for education. So before he went to help the school, Mark and his friends registered a charity and called it the Logged On Foundation.

The film briefly looks at the work of Logged On, especially within the context of education in rural areas. It describes the circumstances in which the film was made and why it is that people are making appeals for help.

The film takes the viewer on a journey to three villages to see the damage caused to communities and listen to the concerns of teachers and parents. It shows families living in areas adjacent to their damaged homes in temporary shelters made of tin sheets and plastic tarps, and classrooms that were either seriously damaged or completely destroyed. Teachers conduct classes in tents, existing buildings that had their walls demolished, or temporary classrooms that were constructed from bamboo or salvaged timber with corrugated iron sheets for the roof.

Children are distressed by the disaster and fearful of more earthquakes. But despite the destruction and hardship, they show resilience and happiness. This sentiment is contrasted with the concern parents and teachers have for the future of the children because they understand that without proper education, their future is bleak. People interviewed in the film make it clear that teaching in the current situation is difficult and the education of the children has suffered.

The first school visited is in the Gorkha District and it had 19 classrooms completely destroyed. The school staff set up temporary learning centres adjacent to the demolished classrooms where they taught 650 children in a very confined space. The second school is in the Dolakha District and it has around 300 students. Many of the classrooms had completely collapsed but some had the structure and roof intact leaving ‘open air’ classrooms.

The third community visited was in the Tanahun District and here the filmmaker shows the situation at a typical family home. The scene is one where a family home was destroyed, the grandmother is unable to stand as a result of injury, and the family of 11 live in a small tin shelter.

“I felt honoured that I had the opportunity to oversee the delivery of Logged On’s assistance program to all the schools we visited” states Mark in the film. After the monsoon season in September 2015, Mark returned to Nepal to follow-up on the work started four months before. He also revisited one of the community in Gorkha District where he spent a week filming.

About a week after he arrived, Nepal promulgated its first Constitution after eight years of debate following the civil war. Despite opposition from some groups, for most it was a time of great celebration. But it was also the start of more social disharmony with a particular ethnic group enforcing an economic blockade at the border crossing between Nepal and India. The blockade became more economically damaging than the earthquake and delayed rebuilding efforts.

The film shows the teaching and learning conditions and at the school. The Principal and the Chairwomen of the School Management Committee describe the difficulties facing the children.

The film then takes viewers to the home of the Principal where the filmmaker resided during his time in the village. While the concerns about the economic and schooling conditions are expressed by the Principal, his son, wife and mother in interviews, they also show that their concerns are not just for their own personal needs, but also the needs of their family and the entire community.

The film concludes with interviews of the Principal’s wife and mother who display their selflessness and the deep concern they have for family. They also summarise what it is that the community needs to provide for their children to give them the best chance of a prosperous future.