Video recap of Arts et Métiers students' humanitarian work in Nepal

Sébastien Dufeu, an engineering student Arts et Métiers, took part in the fourth campaign organized by Gadz'Humanitaire in Nepal, the humanitarian association for engineering students. He looks back on the different stages of this adventure.

"We started thinking about this project in early 2017, looking for a local association because we wanted to do something concrete with people who knew the Nepalese and their needs well." Word of mouth eventually led them to a contact, the association "A Future for Tokarpur," named after a village particularly affected by the 2015 earthquake. The project to rebuild the village school then took shape for Sébastien and the other students. "This project was feasible because, as Arts et Métiers engineering students, we had been taught many manufacturing processes, which gave us a certain practical sense. We were therefore able to put our knowledge to work on a project that was close to our hearts."

After a crowdfunding campaign, bake sales, and corporate donations, particularly from Schneider Electric , which provided the team with solar lamps, the budget was finalized and the twenty students were able to travel to Nepal. Once there, the students stayed with local families. What struck Sébastien was that "despite the language barrier, we were able to understand each other. It felt like we were on the TV show 'Rendez-vous en terre inconnue'!" During the summer, the students were able to lay the school's foundations and build the metal structure, install the roof, and erect the brick walls and interior plasterboard. To thank everyone who participated in the crowdfunding campaign, a video recounting their stay was produced.

A new team is preparing to leave for summer 2018. For Sébastien, "it's very satisfying to know that the project is continuing; we feel that our mission has been a success!"