Creative Classrooms in Dolakha
March 20 - 24, 2026
Bhusapheda, Dolakha
Dolakha lies nestled in the mid-eastern hills of Nepal. The Tamang community forms the heart of the region, with the Tamang language still widely spoken in homes and gatherings. Cultural practices such as ancestor rituals, shaman-led ceremonies, and festivals like Tamang Lhochhar remain deeply meaningful.
Dolakha is also home to one of our dearest Nepalu team members, Arun, making it especially close to us.
Creative Classrooms
Together with a beautiful group of artists and volunteers, we transformed Shree Navin Madhyamik School in Bhusapheda, Dolakha.
This was the first phase. Planting inspiration and creativity.
The school has four buildings.
We painted three of them on the outside with bright colors.
We could not have finished this without the help of the students, teachers, and the principal.
One building stands out.
It is covered in art and serves as an eye catcher for the whole community across the valley.
Its colors blend into the surrounding landscape while still drawing attention.
The drawings and details reflect imagination and a deep sense of cultural pride.
On the front wall, we painted a Gyan Mudra with the message ज्ञान एक शक्ति (Gyaan ek shakti).
This means "Knowledge is power."
Seeing everyone work together and the art uplift the school was powerful. Witnessing that transformation was beautiful.
Color alone was not enough.
We focused deeply on one classroom.
And created our first Creative Classroom.
A space for creativity and self expression.
We filled it with instruments, art supplies, sports equipment, games, and books. Stories about music, art, and inspiration.
One boy stood out from the start.
He picked up a paint brush and began helping us.
He did not stop, even when we took our lunch break.
Later, we discovered his talent for music.
Moments like this stay with us.
This is why we do these projects.
To create space.
To notice talent.
To support it.
This is a government school.
Government schools in Nepal are not required to offer extracurricular activities.
Here, they only teach five subjects.
Art and music are not part of it.
That is why this work matters to us.
We want to bring creative learning into rural government schools.
In the next phase, we will focus on bringing the right tools for both students and teachers to support creative learning.
We will create digital teaching videos for tungna, guitar, and flute.
We will introduce creative ways to work with waste through workshops.
We will develop simple lesson and instruction guides that students and teachers can follow step by step.
Special thanks to
Bodhi Bimal — Artist
Ryan (Sushant) Rajbhandari — Artist
Samrat Joshi — Artist
Tara Hatami — Artist
Luc Willems — Volunteer
Linde Van Haren Noman — Volunteer
With love
Arun & Calypso
We need your ♡