Nuwakot, September 22, 2026 — As schools in Nuwakot resumed classes following the devastating Bhotekoshi River floods, teachers returned to classrooms carrying their own experiences of loss, fear and disruption while also supporting children affected by the disaster.
Recognising that teachers’ psychosocial well-being is critical to creating safe and supportive learning environments, Saathi, in coordination with the Nepal Youth Foundation (NYF), trained 136 teachers across Bidur, Nuwakot, from September 10–19 on psychosocial counselling, support and self-care.
The training focused on a frequently overlooked aspect of disaster recovery: the well-being of educators themselves.
Recognising distress in teachers and students
Many teachers were directly affected by the floods and faced the challenge of supporting children while managing their own stress and uncertainty. The training provided practical tools to help educators recognise signs of distress in themselves and their students.
Sessions covered personal stress, burnout, grief and secondary trauma, as well as behavioural changes in children following a disaster. Teachers were also introduced to Psychological First Aid (PFA), with an emphasis on practical ways to respond to distress, provide immediate support and avoid causing further harm.
The training encouraged teachers to view emotional and behavioural changes among children not simply as disciplinary issues, but as possible responses to a traumatic experience.
Self-care as part of emergency response
The programme also created space for teachers to reflect on their own experiences and develop practical strategies for managing stress.
Participatory activities included guided breathing and relaxation exercises, flood-related drawing exercises and group discussions on peer support and resilience. These activities provided teachers with opportunities to process their experiences while learning techniques that can also be used during stressful situations in the classroom.
For teachers working in communities recovering from disaster, the message was clear: caring for students also requires caring for the people providing that support.
Supporting safer schools beyond reopening
The training forms part of Saathi and NYF’s broader response to the Bhotekoshi River floods, which affected communities across Nuwakot.
With schools now navigating the longer recovery process, psychosocial support remains an important part of ensuring that classrooms are not only physically accessible but also emotionally safe for children and teachers.
Saathi and NYF plan to continue supporting affected schools through follow-up psychosocial sessions, refresher training and peer-support mechanisms for teachers.
As Nuwakot moves from immediate emergency response towards longer-term recovery, strengthening the emotional resilience of teachers is essential to helping schools become safe spaces where children can learn, recover and rebuild.
