Across the Mechi River in Nepal, Children Struggle to Continue Schooling — MEMBSA Brings Hope

Date: 12/28/2015 Jhapa, Nepal —

In a corner of Nepal’s southeastern Terai that defies expectations about accessibility, families in the settlements of Gwala Basti, Sisaudangi, and Jhadubasti confront daily barriers to basic services, most notably education. Although the area lies within Mechinagar Municipality in Jhapa District, long regarded as relatively developed, its children are unable to continue schooling beyond early primary grades because of geography and neglect.

These settlements, collectively known locally as “Nepal beyond the Mechi River,” are administratively part of Nepal but physically cut off from the rest of Jhapa. The river becomes an insurmountable barrier during the rainy season, and the sole primary school often closes shortly after the academic year begins.

At Mechi Primary School, established to extend education to this isolated community, instruction runs only through Grade 2. When monsoon swells the river, teachers cannot reach the classrooms, sometimes for weeks. The result: children lose months of learning each year, and opportunities for further study are almost nonexistent.

“Teachers and staff live on the other side,” explained school principal Lokendra Thapaliya. “Even during dry weather, the current is formidable; during the monsoon, it becomes a torrent.”

For families here, the struggle goes beyond interrupted education. Beyond Grade 2, students must travel hours to other schools or cross the border into India — options out of reach for most.

Gwala Basti’s isolation also affects broader development. Roads, clean water, electricity, and communication infrastructure remain scarce. Residents regularly appeal for a bridge to link their community to the rest of Jhapa, but promises have gone unfulfilled.

In this context, Mechi Mahakali Buhari Sanyukt Aawaj (MEMBSA), a Nepalese non-profit organization founded to empower women and facilitate child education, has been working to fill critical gaps. Guided by its motto — “Dedicated to serving those in greatest need” — MEMBSA mobilizes volunteers, resources, and humanitarian support to bring school supplies, warm clothing, and other essential materials to children in these isolated communities.

MEMBSA’s efforts reflect a broader mission to ensure that geography does not dictate opportunity. Its programs not only deliver material support but also spotlight disparities in access to education and advocate for systemic solutions. The organization’s presence in these settlements underscores the reality faced by many families in Nepal who are close in administrative terms but cut off in practical terms.

Educators emphasize that the challenges of “Mechi beyond” are not unique to this enclave but illustrate a persistent problem across regions where physical barriers meet bureaucratic inattention — communities placed within official maps but overlooked in development plans.

As long as basic infrastructure remains incomplete, children in these settlements will continue to fall through the cracks of Nepal’s education system — merely because their homes are on the “other side” of a river that no bridge has yet spanned .