“The school caught fire at night. They say it was caused by the digital whiteboard, we don’t know for sure.” Extefana Ohienart talks about the Arbero school. The only school in the town of Donamartiri, in the Arbero region of Navarra Bétera, has 57 students. The local teacher, Ohienart, is still enthusiastic about the black walls and that morning of his encounter with the ashes. The incident happened last October.

“Seeing the school in this situation broke our hearts, but we immediately started working. We had no other choice. We kept some things in our parents’ homes, but many more were thrown away; only a few books were saved,” recalls Ohienart.

A few days after the accident, students, teachers and parents began working together to rebuild the school. “We need to dispose of and rebuild the entire early childhood building, along with our offices. We had to reorganize the space in order to continue teaching. “We have a school today,” says the teacher.

Arbero maintains an unconventional work practice, with all teachers passing through all levels. The youngest is only 2 years old and the oldest 11. As expected, the new situation has seriously complicated the day-to-day, whether it is a lack of space or material... and they have hardly had institutional support.

The French government has ignored the situation in Arberoa. In this way, they have only had the support of Seaska and/or the community to move the Bajorans forward. “A lot of people and teachers helped us. The people of the South have also supported us and thanks to the contributions of the people we are trying to face it”, confesses the teacher.

Just on Monday, the citizens of Arbería received solidarity and warmth from the Uzturpe school in Ibarra: All of them have joined the Ibártians to maintain the Solidarity Kilometre that leaves the town square every year.

The importance of solidarity

Professor Nerea Ramos gave us: “Students take several turns on a specific route and families make financial contributions. Our main objective is to make them aware of the importance of solidarity rather than to offer them financial support. Our students have been studying the rights of the world’s children. In the process, knowing the fire of the Arbero school, they also studied the situation of schools in the Northern Basque Country”, he explains.

“When we heard about Uzturpe’s project, it was very exciting,” recalls Extefana, a teacher from Arbería. It is in the so-called “enriching exchange” and, he says, the choice of their school has impressed the group.

It's been five months since the fire took over Donamartiri's sky. Both students and teachers know that it will be a long way to recover the Arbero Ikastola from the ashes. They are reminded that they are not alone.