Guidance note: environment in the emergency education response

This guidance note from the Nepal education cluster highlights the importance of considering environment as part of the emergency education response. It explains why a critical component of saving lives and reducing risk after a disaster includes work to ensure that the natural resources that form the basis for human life and livelihoods are restored and responsibly managed for the future. The note gives key considerations and provides practical tips on how to create safe and sustainable school environments as well as how to educate for environmental awareness and action.

The earthquakes in April and May of 2015 have had a devastating impact on the facilities and infrastructure in the education sector. Structural Assessment data indicates that in the 11 affected districts outside Kathmandu valley, 67% of classrooms (32,000) are unsafe for use. Given the scale of the response, the broad humanitarian needs, Nepal’s unique geography and multihazard context, environmental issues are a priority cross-cutting issue that all sectors need to address.