The devastation created by record setting monsoon rains in Uttarakhand has affected KHEL, too. We don’t have a full damage report yet, but Lakshmi Devi Academy (LDA), KHEL’s school for under served children, was swamped by over two feet of water. This is not just a problem at LDA; the surrounding area, Shiv Puri Colony, was originally a migrant slum settlement and there is very little infrastructure for drainage. Newer migrant communities form along the edge of the Rispana River, making it even more challenging for monsoon rains to drain away from the Colony. Beni, KHEL’s General Manager, and other staff rushed to LDA to move furniture upstairs and bail the water out as best as they could; they were too overwhelmed by the emergency situation to take any photos. Some of the homes of our teachers have been damaged, too.