Kathmandu, June 14 -- Four months after Rabindra Puri launched his Nepal Vocational Academy in Panauti in January 2015, the earthquake hit and his plans were completely shaken up. The architect's buildings were intact, the students were safe but the quake opened up a huge new demand for skilled carpenters, plumbers and masons.
One later year, Puri saw the need for another training institute, and started work on a new centre in Bhaktapur, where carpentry lessons have already begun. When finished the school will have the capacity to train up to 200 students at a time.
"When we started, we could produce 60-70 artisans annually but after the earthquake, the demand boomed," recalls Puri. "We had to work day and night to expand capacity."
Puri...