Rotary Club of Orange Daybreak member Mary Brell spent the past four years helping with teacher training at Maidi in Nepal and was due to wrap up the fundraising this year.

However, due to the amount of destruction, the commitment will be continued.

“It will be going directly to the village in the area where we’ve been working for the last four years... it’s one of the hardest hit areas,” Ms Brell said.

“They’ve lost up to 90 per cent of housing, the school has been damaged and another school we’ve helped is demolished... the birthing centre has been destroyed and we need to get that up and running again.

“With this money we’ve now raised it will go to help building works and it will help builders as well.”

Ms Brell said some builders from Orange, including John Spanjer, have discussed going to help with the reconstruction effort at the end of the month and she hopes they will work with the builders in Nepal.

Among the projects will be rebuilding the school so children can continue their education, and some children’s families will also receive money so their children can return to school.

“Some of the kids were already poor and now they will be poorer,” Ms Brell said.

The money raised will be distributed by Hike Himalaya Adventure, the company the Rotary Club of Orange Daybreak has worked with for the past four years.

“We will know exactly what will happen with that money... we are keeping quite tight controls over it,” she said.

“It think that’s why so many people have been willing to donate money to this.”

Donations have also come from Scotland, Thailand, England and Canada as well as Orange. 

Ms Brell will return with a group of schoolies from Orange high schools in November.

Donations are tax deductible and can be made online at www.keystosuccess.com.au or www.rotaryorangedaybreak.org.au.