Our old buddies Pierre and Nuria were Back in Nepal. The beautiful couple seem to have grown much closer since they both volunteered with us on ‘The Great Wall’ and wanted to volunteer again with us. I wasn’t quite ready for them but they understood the gravity of the design being passed. Pierre is incredibly passionate and inquisitive of what was going on, with what I can only say feels like genuine affection for the project and real heart. He was also doing what he can to raise money for us which is incredible, his most recent count was up to seven hundred euros. It was genuinely great to see them both. I told them that after all the messing around with the paper pushing, I was ready to get my hands dirty again too, and willing to do some more essential site work now the design was passed with the local municipality. Perseverance is half the battle I thought, and with project supporters like Pierre I felt stronger. In genuine excitement from passing the design I decided to donate the second and last wall myself, not interrupting any of our collections, which as promised were raised for the school building. Although I won’t be able to do these grand gestures as much in the future, we have to keep pushing forward as much as time pushes us back.
It felt good to be doing something on the ground again, a change of energy, and actually where I really get to fully enjoy the project. It’s great to physically be creating something of importance for the project that will stand for a long time. It’s also great to be back with the expanding team since the last wall and Raju’s house. It was wonderful to welcome them all back as we drank a few cups of Masala chai, also welcoming a few new local builders; who our old friend and site foreman Sukuman had introduced me to on the tea trail of their homes.
The building team was growing beautifully for the school build. After all the running around and stressful moments passing the design, it was exactly what we needed; balance by hammering rocks as hard as you can with two of your favourite allies, in the form of Ujjwal Lage and Pierre Robbi.
Back at Ujjwal’s hostel we also met some wonderful new people wanting to volunteer. Mo (Jess), a young artistic soul, also a walking art gallery with her exquisite range of tattoos which the children in the village seemed to admire. Very different from the tattoos of the local Tamang ladies, and a lot more colourful. She was surprisingly strong and willing to try anything and everything. There was also Tahnni. A loud, hot head from the Bronx with a sharp bite and a soft heart seemingly up for anything challenging and down for the adventure. With these two strong women as an added bonus, Pierre, Nuria and I felt like we would be OK. Ujwal put some time aside, and our old friend and occasional translator Rajat would be visiting for a couple of days with his buddy Rojhan. Oh, we’re we going to have fun. Maybe a little madness with this collective bunch too!
It was amazing to have our two comrades Pierre and Ujwal back volunteering on site beside me, leading the small eccentric gang we had formed to get the job done. Hints of nostalgia with overtones of beautiful new experiences and fresh faces. The wall build went pretty much as smoothly as the last larger one; which is a credit to the team as a whole.
We had to deal with the added logistical problems of getting materials because there had been more rain that had damaged the road. Truck drivers were being understandably cautious. It’s never far away from you here, where a truck is falling off the mountain. Most visits I seem to see the remnants of such an unfortunate event, however the people seem to miraculously escape from the ones I have come to know. The monsoon was beginning, but the wall, being much smaller in size than the last, should be up within ten days. The ground needed the water and so did we, the village had become very dry. We were running out of water every day by the afternoon. This could be a serious problem with the amounts of water we will need to build the school and one I need to look into for the school build, especially in planning for the late spring, early summer months.
Nuria and Tahanni had also met in Nepal before and seemed to enjoy every moment working together. They even seemed to dress like twins as they encouraged each other on site with constant laughter.
Mo had an incredible spirit and was a lot stronger than she looked, Incredible stamina through most jobs on site including fetching and carrying awkward 50kg cement bags and lifting some pretty massive rocks.
Volunteers constantly surprise me with their strength, determination and the stamina they bring to the project. Pierre and Nuria are also a testament to how amazing it feels doing the site work and how close we can get as friends. They are an Incredibly passionate couple with a very healthy attitude to every task, problem, success or joy we experienced together and always with a smile to be shared, often followed by a belly laugh for any occasion.
This wall was much smaller than the colossus we had to build last time, the cost and time had been estimated accurately, just two days over due to weather and road conditions delaying a couple of deliveries. Coming in on its predicted budget efficiently the wall looks great after only 12 days back on site.
With all the past hard work and commitment, the site is now fully retained and safe for us to now build Budland School as soon as possible; which we are still looking for as much aupport as possible.
As we do after any great feeling of achievement on site, we celebrated with our BBQ which has become normal to grill on an old bike wheel or air fan guard. With succulent chicken prepared by Pierre himself with great care, at the homestay with Ramesh and Prabati or buffalo meat we get from the market washed down with a few local Roxys (rice wine).
A special thanks again to our volunteer team: Ujwal Lage, Pierre Robbi, Nuria Falco, Jess ‘Mo’ Thornhill-Wight, Tahanni Maharaj, Rajat Shrestha, Rojhan Shrestha.
As always in full gratitude of our Nepali team as we continue to progress: Sukuman, Milan, Pushpa, Purna, Iman, Frame, Bishwas, Ram, Pullsang, Karna and Keshab.
Marcel had finally arrived back in Nepal and was on site surprising us during the worst of the afternoon heat. The Nepali team had clearly missed this guy’s larger than life character for the last year bringing the high energy that surrounds and comforts us as we work. Marcel has become a very good friend to us all. He is a really special guy and an exceptional volunteer. The man is full of love and is very compassionate. He met me with the largest hug, packed full of emotion, and a kiss from his brother Kevin (who has helped raise a lot of funds for our school site’s retaining wall last year and also helped us build Monisa’s house after the earthquakes over three years ago now) to set the project alight with a new energy that I hope we can carry forward as a team. We had reached our first milestone on the project and onto the next level of bricks; all of us feeling ultra-comfortable with the highest team spirit I’ve experienced yet; now working with talented Nepali friends and not just builders anymore. Nothing could stop us and no problem would be unsolved. As Marcels motto continues,
“One problem : One solution”.
The building just kept growing. I had also started laying some bricks now. It had been three years since my introduction to block laying in the Philippines on my first rebuild volunteer adventure, this also being a little different, so I stayed close to Milan’s guidance. The beautiful thing about this site is that everyone can and will fight to learn more, everyone seems to want to grow here, especially the young locals, so I try to encourage the volunteers to join in with them and not be too nervous but to get amongst the passion of our beautiful team, as we all are looking out for each other.
Johannes left us for a moment to go to a music festival but gave us a solid promise he would return; his commitment was shown by him leaving most of his belongings with us. Our project is in full flow now, but waiting for no one. The windows and door frames were in and we were approaching the wall’s final height so Marcel decided to go for his first trek in Nepal. He was venturing to the snowy mountain tops of Langtang which are clearly visible on a good day from the site. Langtang is a place I dream of going to eventually due to us looking at its tremendously awesome power daily, as it dwarfs our own location but enhances our view. Langtang is extremely remote and was incredibly destroyed by the earthquakes in 2015, however being a popular and heavy tourist trekking zone, it has had serious investment. From what I hear it’s been a very hard place to help logistically in comparison to us. Even with our issues with the roads we are closer to a city. It’s trekking closed for the first year after the earthquake. I dreamt I could go with Marcel, but for the moment I have to accept that maybe it’s better to keep that dream alive for another time and maybe with other volunteers one day.
I am always happy to see volunteers going to explore Nepal further, as I believe it is very important. Marcel and Johannes hadn’t seen much outside the village before they disappeared and it helps them get a further context as well as gain perspective for what we are actually doing, whatever they ultimately choose to do themselves. I knew both of them would be back before long.
While we were getting the walls up to height the government engineers came twice to check we were fully respecting the design laid out for us. They were very happy with our work and our small meetings were simple. I also started to have concerns for Raju and his mother’s wellbeing in the future. We hadn’t raised money for what I was now thinking by only voicing concern for proper shelter. While working, I realised that we are not doing full justice for them without further basic essential facilities, such as a toilet, washing room and ventilated cooking space. These are things I’m not seeing any other organisation or the government caring about in this area, and in my mind, they are as important as anything we are all already doing. The house is not so efficient without these simple services, and from my experience here I decided we should be raising the bar just a little bit higher. The space was there if we wanted to work the land a little further. Soon we were laying new foundations and expanding the design on each side, but only a little. These facilities require a significantly smaller space and cost less than what we were already doing, especially for a small family of only two rural village people. Besides, Frame and me had one helluva lot of fun digging the gigantic hole for the septic tank!
The new walls went up fast and soon we split into two groups. I joined Sukuman with Bikram (Keshab’s young brother) and Bijay for the toilet and washing room’s concrete slab roof, while the others helped Milan and our new welder Raju on the main house and kitchen roof. Keshab and Bicram’s closest family friend, Bijay (who has been an honour to work with since the retaining wall for the school) got a generator and welding equipment on loan for us from his father. We needed more power than we recently had available for metal cutting from the basic electricity supply in a neighbour’s house. For the welding we needed an onsite generator, being available locally was a blessing. However, from the equipment available and hiring a welder it is a genuinely serious concern I have that there is no proper eye protection equipment available. Although they don’t seem bothered, they should be, so I have promised to bring them a professional, utilisable welding visor on my next visit for them to share. If anyone would like to donate any other basic safety equipment, they are most welcome.
It was not long until the house was essentially built. Now we were just in need of plastering, the completion of the front porch/patio areas, and a lick of paint. Johannes soon enough was back to join in the fun, as we went from room to room and plastered the outside. The speed which Sukuman, Milan and Pushpa covered the walls was incredible, it was a struggle to keep filtering sand finely and mixing the cement as fast as they were throwing it at the walls. Raju was clearly now getting very excited by the progress and development of his new home. Always eager to help after school and on Saturdays if there were appropriate tasks to give him, but often trying to help using his own initiative, with us just having to keep an eye on him and look out for him. Raju started laughing more and even dancing often to the music we play on site. Normally by the end of the day as we are washing up or drinking one last Chai (his mother is constantly looking after us, an amazing host), I find myself dancing alongside him too at times, this little six year old has a strong character and an infectious sense of joy.
Marcel soon showed up for the last days of plastering just before we were ready to paint. However, Marcel decided to go straight to the school site where he was joined by the Nepali team for the backfilling of last year’s retaining wall, which was a big job itself. Marcel is much happier with the heavier work and more passionate about the school project, requesting to be in service to the school when possible. As Johannes and I progressed with the painting of the house, I knew I would also join them at the school site in due course. Johannes has been a truly loyal brother staying with the house until full completion. Both Johannes and Marcel are now our longest serving volunteers on building sites and are incredibly special with the amount of work they have both donated in service alongside our Nepali team. It is fully appreciated and it seems they love the experience here whist also getting to know Nepal on a more personal, and deeper, cultural level.
The painting took time. We worked outside first following through into the house that was more protected from the sun and taking time to dry. We were joined by a couple of other volunteers; Ian and Jo; that were in Hostel One96 (thank you Ujwal and Sangeet!) and wanted to come help for a few days. They gave us some much needed fresh energy, helped us create a huge dent in the painting work needed in the few days they could manage to give us and raised our spirits even higher. Soon it was time to say goodbye as Johannes and I battled on to completion, even without truly figuring out how to open a Nepali tub of paint properly (although Johannes did have a good stab at it)!
The house itself took a month to finish including plastering; while the painting took another month while waiting for the plaster to dry, as we worked around the changing conditions. Ultimately now we were trying to help them make a house a home with a heavy heart, knowing it would be years before they could even invest in the paint. Paint is expensive.
I darted between the two projects, the retaining wall backfilling and the house. However it wasn’t so long before we were all back together at the house for it’s opening ceremony of Puja. This ceremony is for the house to be blessed by the Buddhist Lamas. The ceremony is conducted inside through a whole night of chanting and blessings. In the main room stood a few banana trees that would later be replanted, bound together beautifully making a mini gazebo, filled with offerings and décor that served as the focal point we sat around while the Lamas interacted with it in service of the house blessing. The night bled into the morning as the chants continued outside in the low glowing morning sun to raise the prayer flags, bless the house further while decorating the exterior walls with flowers.
It was a very peaceful and beautiful morning, but that was about to change as we geared up the transition from ceremony to after party; switching the chanting for some loud Tamang music coming through a large speaker. The ceremony and opening party were both incredible. A very life enriching experience to be a part of. Soon the building team arrived for some great food and questionable but highly entertaining dancing, as we celebrated the house passing to Phul Maya and Raju, the most incredibly beautiful way of celebrating our hard work and our completed mission. Oh, we were having such a good time! It also served as our final great time together for the moment, until hopefully we will all be back together for the school later in the year.
I dream now of working with this very talented, efficient and hardworking team again in the future, as well as welcoming new volunteers; and with your support financially, together we will build Budland!
Thank you all so much for your previous, continuous and ongoing support. Let’s continue rolling the good work forward and keep the dream alive!
The wall’s success, along with the tragic circumstances of one family, has opened up an opportunity to start the scholarship program within our project early.
Over three years ago now, Raju’s family’s life was turned upside-down while his house was seriously damaged within Nepal’s extreme devastation as a consequence of the earthquakes. Nearly one and a half years ago Raju tragically lost his father. These losses have put a further large strain on the family, and the burden of these events combined was worse than we had feared when I recently visited with Ujwal and Shushil to assess and document their situation and their story. This was so apparent now we were actually seeing their living conditions, environment and actually talking to them. Although healthy, it seems they are still very much lost in the darkness. Seeing them and their situation made us immediately accept the scholarship.
Phul Maya; Raju’s Mum, has contemplated pulling him out of Budland School to help take some stress away from her constant struggle. Like many locals in mountain areas, she never got the chance to be educated. She comes from an uneducated family but understands the benefits of education. She works hard, not only as a single mother; but also caring for their livestock, and is also struggling to support her late husband’s children from a previous marriage (who are are much older, and educated in Kathmandu). She relied heavily on her husband for the practical tasks, and since his passing has not been able see the ability to ever have a home again or understand how to claim any subsidy as a victim of the earthquake. This has led to her being lost in a system with no further safety net.
Pulling Raju out of Budland is something we do not want to happen; due to his potential, his friendships and his resillience. He has, from all understanding, been a good student throughout the difficulties over the last 16 months since losing his father. Phul Maya can also find some comfort knowing that her wishes for her child will continue on the Scholarship program we have negotiated. Looking at their living conditions, not much has changed since the devastation caused by the earthquake over three years ago now. Even when Bicman, Phul Maya’s late husband, was alive, times must have been very hard.
As we walk around the building together, every structural point is weak. The load bearing walls are cracked so deeply at the corners of both the building and windows, from the ground up to the roof. Originally the building would have had another story that now ceases to exist. The house next door now has an open wall where the two houses were once adjoined upstairs. This could quite easily be a serious additional hazard for them if it was to fall down. Now the single room is only just standing and sheltered by old leaking tin sheets that don’t particularly do justice to their purpose!
Some further security with a little comfort in the form of a small house, will greatly ease their stress and help their mental health. They have been struggling relentlessly together for a long time on their own. A little help would lift them up to a much better life.
While we are still dealing with the complications of the larger project; I feel that if we come together for this small project we could have a quick success before the dangers of the monsoon once again approach.
The paperwork for this house project is much faster and there are some stock house designs the government released which we can work from quickly. However the deadline to build the foundations and apply to be checked by a government engineer for release of any subsidy for earthquake victims was creeping too close for comfort with the approach of the Nepali New year. ‘We have to act fast!’ I constantly thought to myself while investigating their situation. We had just two weeks to build and complete the house foundation for the engineer to assess the work, and for the government to release about one third of the money needed to build the house (this being the maximum you can actually claim as a victim).
The main worry before begining, was getting the deeds to know she would be able to keep the land and the house. This was a real challenge in such small time. We met a local man called Rizen Lama; a close family friend who was also hoping we would help them; offering a donation of wood for the windows and doors; he also seemed well educated. He spoke to Ujwal, Sushil and myself in depth. Soon he was with us on the mission too, making sure the land was secure and giving us copies of the legal documents to file. Now we could finally start the hard labour needed to meet the deadline.
Due to personally being moved and having to act fast I decided to donate the house foundation to get the ball rolling and the show on the road. We had to make sure the job was completed quickly so she could claim the subsidy on the total house cost of 6000 USD. The government subsidy of 2500 USD after the engineers checks, means we only need a further 3500 USD to complete their house. I feel now that Raju is a big part of our project, and seeing his physical condition at home whilst also worrying about their mental health confirmed this is worthwhile.
Looking at their situation got me thinking on how many lost, uneducated people that perhaps cannot even read or write, are surviving in these conditions without any support or checks, and with the system failing them. How many could there actually be out of the thousands of victims rendered officially homeless after the earthquake?
After the initial worries we had now reached a point where the practical work could commence. I arrived back at the village to put a team together while Ujwal was collecting volunteers within his hostel. I was lucky this time to be joined by Max and Cece, who previously helped us with Monisa’s house after the earthquake and organised the French festival to fund the Budland School site’s retaining wall with Kevin and Margot. They came to help the larger project but were very understanding on the development of the paperwork being slow as they already knew Nepal. It was the last half of their trip and they thought it was amazing to branch out into this smaller project with us. Before leaving Kathmandu we were also fortunate to meet a Danish rapper called Dave Havlia in the hostel who was very keen to join us and dig the trenches in the village.
When we arrived we got straight to work dismantling an old chicken pen on the proposed land and cleaning the site. Meanwhile our previous foreman, Sukaman, having made himself available. had had a nasty accident, almost losing his finger to an electric steel grinder, just a couple of days before. Keshab came back immediately with Ramesh but we needed a foreman. That night I spoke to Indra who owned the shop next door to Ram’s homestay (where we live in the village). Indra immediately understood and agreed to join us. As a friend of Sukaman and also a professional builder with experience on this government design he was perfect! We had a good team to start, and without a moment passing got straight to work dismantling, measuring and digging. We had almost completed the trenches by the second day. Max and Cece agreed to continue while I bought all the materials including cement and Iron rebar, while ordering large stone trucks for the next morning. They couldn’t arrive that day because of the flash rains making the already bad dirt mountain roads even more dangerous for heavy trucks.
The next morning we went straight to work on a very hard site logistically. Set three steps below the road, meant we had to manually carry all materials to the site on foot; sand, gravels, cement and the gigantic stones which again we will have to sledgehammer down a liftable size. As you can imagine this is tiresome, time consuming heavy labour. We worked together initially before slowly staggering people to work on the site. Indra and Keshab were the first to start work on site due to experience with the volunteers and Ram staying with me for the long haul of materials over the next three days until the next stone truck was due. This increased efficiency by a large margin in our race against time.
About a year ago whilst in Sri Lanka, I met a Filipino named CJ. We bumped into each other in a hostel while passing through the city of Kandy for a couple of nights. I extended a night, enjoying his company, some drinks, and his genuine early interest in the Budland School project. Less than a year later I am meeting him by chance in Hostel One96 and he’s throwing himself straight into it! I had brought him to this area of Nepal on his arrival, but having no work ready at that point CJ jumped on another project with another organisation promising he would be back, and disappeared after we celebrated Holi festival together.
Suddenly one afternoon CJ arrived on site, turning up with Ujwal like a rockstar. Ujwal came for the night with us but CJ had come to join the marathon sweat we were enduring throwing and carrying the heaviest materials down the mountain. He was serious yet jovial in high spirits “at least we were not walking up from the road,” as hard as it was, we knew it could be worse.
Max, Cece, CJ, and Myself couldn’t stop laughing through the work, natural comrades in what was a gruelling exercise workout. The connection and energy between us was magical, it kept us all going and set the pace when one of us was getting tired. Together a tedious and heavy job was made much lighter. It was amazing being in such great company with all three of them again. The belly laughs were as big as the weight we human donkeys were carrying . I knew that without people as crazy as this beside me we would not reach the deadline for the government.
Once the Materials arrived we started helping move and lay the stones around the site, and before you knew it we had to say goodbye to all three of them. Of course we couldn’t let them go without an amazing, somewhat traditional project BBQ out of an old oil drum with an air fan’s protective grill (replacing our missing bike wheel) at Ramesh’s shop. The meat was washed down with a jerry can of local Roxy (rice wine) and some good local music to dance to. Waking up was hard that morning, but going to work was harder. I felt great in myself, but saying goodbye to half of the team, who brought a lot of energy to the site work, was not as easy as the extra cup of coffee I was drinking. They are people you grow a little with through these experiences as we continue to love with every rendezvous connected to a project in support of others. You were very missed on this day guys!
The day’s work was as good as the others but it was an emotional slog. Returning to Ramesh’s shop for our after work beer, there was a new face awaiting our arrival back home. Ujwal had messaged earlier that he had sent a super strong man to lift rocks, his name was Axel. Ujwal wasn’t joking. The next day on site he proved his power and never stopped working. Maybe the beef really is better in Argentina?
Axel has had some experience and was willing to learn, throwing himself straight into the action. He couldn’t communicate well being a native Spanish speaker, relatively new to English. Axel could, however, understand us well. A true force on site and an example of motto I live and travel by; “the more you give; the more you get back”. This work is good for the mind, the body and the spirit.
That evening we met yet another man with the very same attitude in abundance. A man I was half expecting to show up through brief contact online via Marvin Gort, a mutual friend. I had met Marvin travelling in Indonesia a while ago, and he put Joel in contact with me. Joel messaged me to say he was in KTM (Katmandu) and ready to get his hands dirty for the cause.
Joel had been waiting for us at Ramesh’s homestay with a million questions after what he had seen online, our brief conversations, and whatever Marvin had said since I had met him over a year ago during the early conception of the Budland school project. Joel was surprised we were building a house, but excited to join in. As soon as we got to the site, seeing the house, his heart and emotions seeped into the project as deep as the cracks in the building; like us he was now fully committed. Joel never stopped throwing himself into any task, I got the feeling Joel might even stay longer, he seemed settled wherever he was on the site blasting out some heavy rock music, getting the job done, and he seemed care free with time for rich experiences.
There were now six of us on site. A power group! Keshab invited his brother Bicram in hopes of getting the job done faster to make seven. Bickram was almost as strong as Keshab and only sixteen which was pretty amazing. I wondered how many of these rocks these guys had lifted, I was feeling the burn but we were now almost ready to move straight onto the metal work.
Together, in just three days, we moved through the metalwork; to the formwork and the concrete pour. All proceeding seamlessly with Indra’s direction; finishing at 8pm on the Nepali New Year’s Eve. It is about to become 2075 in Nepal, and what an amazing year it will hopefully be. We have been very lucky so far with the sorts of people attracted to our project, every one of them a blessing. If we keep the energy high and persevere, with your support there is no reason for anything but success.
A special thanks to the Nepali team being available; Indra, Keshab, Bicram, Ram. To our very special volunteers; Maxime Hervouin, Cece Veille, Dave Havlia, CJ (Claro Edano Jr.), Axel Jarmolinski and Joel Bladt, who always help make this possible, through their hard work, passion (both on and off site), and for donating their heart, time and energy.
Finally, thanks to all of you who continue to contribute in other ways, both financially and verbally, who support us continually, even simply by reading this blog and spreading the word. Without you we wouldn’t be here.
100% of donations go exclusivley to the materials needed to rebuild the house and nepali tradesmen who will be assisted by our international volunteers free of charge.
With all the legalities secured and locked up, I now felt confident to push forward with the next phase and start preparing the land for the build. I had already started talking to a Nepali civil engineer, John, who was happy to donate a design (John has been involved in many humanitarian projects aimed at rebuilding resilient structures since the earthquake). It was now time for us to visit the site to make sure that the land will be secure over the monsoon. The excavation will also allow us to measure the land more efficiently so that John can start working on the design.
Whilst discussing the project on site, John, Ujwal, Purna and I all agreed to begin the excavation immediately, ensuring the new slope would be left at a forty-five degree angle now for security (preventing the possibility of the land sliding with the rain). In addition, any trees that will need to be removed while making the new entrance to the land, could be used within the slope to help bind the new loose land together for further safety. Due to the slope eating into our available space, we knew that the next job on site would be to build a retaining wall and have a further small excavation to fill in the space. We will also be re-planting trees around the perimeter after the rebuild of the school, where the roots will also help brace the land together further.
We were filled with excitement and decided we should enquire about a JCB straight away. It turned out, to my surprise, that we could order a JCB for the very next day, as their work load drops before the monsoon season. We were just in time, and we had to move fast before the rains came.
This was the first major moment in the project; we had gained some momentum and we were now in motion. Moving strongly forward my nerves were as excited as my mind. There were to be no further steps back in order to go forward, it felt good. We were in a good place.
These were feelings I hadn’t explored so much within myself since I first took a sledgehammer to Ram and Monisa’s tragic house after the earthquake (on my promise to build them a more secure and comfortable home). Your heart beats fast in the first moments as you settle under the weight of responsibility and the excitement of a new venture.
It’s a warm feeling knowing that we have support and encouragement for the project, but scary knowing that we still have a long way to go before we will have the funding to truly excel. With a full heart and solid belief in this project and the current strength of all previous developments at it’s highest yet, I know we will eventually get there together.
The JCB was run by a pair of extremely experienced young drivers, disciplined and on time, not something you always experience in Nepal! After our initial conversations, it seemed they didn’t need much further direction. I have never truly paid attention to exactly how they can move such a large machine, across hard and difficult terrain, using both arms simultaneously, both to balance and to dig. It was amazing to watch them at work
They wanted to get the job done quickly and efficiently, and, to my dismay, were far too serious to give me a JCB lesson. However they welcomed us to join them inside and get to know each other a little while they blasted music out from surprisingly powerful speakers. They had a pretty cool gig we thought. Ujwal and I found that it was hard not to dance a little bit inside what felt like a rollercoaster as they moved it over the rippled terrain before it was completely flat it was a real thrill.
I had invited our previous photographer to join us for such a monumental day in the project. Sushil has done such amazing work for us before on our website, and has become somewhat close to both us and the village. He really seems to love the project; it was great that he could make the time to come.
Purna, Ujwal, Ram and I were constantly there to assist from the ground, moving and clearing the wood. I was honoured that Ram was so keen to join us and help this project, considering how hard it has sometimes been to keep Monisa’s attendance high at school; however whilst checking up on this visit I discovered it had been much better while I was away; which fills me with optimism and encouragement that we are making real progress.
The day was thrilling, fast, and felt over too quickly. I couldn’t believe how much land they could move in a day. It was finally time to have a small celebration in the village and sink a few beers to mark a milestone in the project, before heading back to Kathmandu with Ujwal and Shushil. It was a tight squeeze with all three of us on the same Motorcycle, travelling hard rural roads, where every bump pushes you closer together, just as the bumps in the project do too. There is never an unsolvable problem.
Once in Kathmandu I headed straight over to see John to talk about the design and clarify the brief so that we could start the next stage. We also went back to the village to accurately re-measure everything. We will be very excited to inform you about the next developments as soon as the design is ready to publish.
Addendum:
As in keeping with my promise, I have personally donated the start-up costs and have also donated the costs of this excavation, however the rebuild cannot happen without your belief and generosity. All of the donations are being saved, and they will all go strictly towards the rebuild and improved school facilities.
All accounts during the rebuild will be published on this website as we progress. We all appreciate your support and believe that full transparency is essential to those that support this cause. Without you this wouldn’t be possible. As always, our thanks and gratitude are with you, let’s see what we can achieve together.
The Project has had a warm reception but we are still very much at the beginning of the journey. We still have many challenges laid out for us as I return to Nepal again knowing we have a lot of work to do.
Budland School, Ujwal and I have been in good contact while I was away and there were some concerns about the current land. I had been hoping to excavate after looking at the land plans and measuring previously. However it seemed we had gone a few steps forward and one step back, as life can feel sometimes working in this beautiful country, which I knew from previous experiences here. Problem solving was something you have to get accustomed to here, and expect. I was still confident we could progress now I was back.
The school were struggling to agree with their landowner on a long term lease agreement which I needed to go with the projects legal agreements with the landowner and the Budland School directors we had previously made together. I had been assured this wouldn’t be a problem after my previous negations with everyone involved.
The lease was verbally agreed in my previous meetings but unfortunately he was deciding to put the rent up substantially on them once the building of the school was completed, with a further alarming annual increase. He seemed to of had a change of heart. I found this unacceptable, and he now seemed purely opportunistic. I feel he did not appreciate how seriously I take my duty to protect the donation money not just for the building but in respect to the long term future of the school, the reason this project was born. I couldn’t agree to invest donation money on the long term with what was presently on the table as I did not believe it was good for the schools budgeting in the future. The current landowner now seemed to have lost all regard to Nepal’s land prices and inflation rates, obviously thinking he could slyly take advantage of the situation. The school were rightly worried, and I was glad they hadn’t rushed into anything out of desperation before I arrived back.
We could do better and I knew we had a wild card up our sleeves; one of the school directors, Purna had some farm land available. I had not seen the land but knew Purna could present it to us. In my opinion we had no choice but to decline the new final offers with the current land owner and move forward together somehow into a much more reasonable situation than they are currently in. I had a strong feeling that the land owner would soon regret his decision. Now showing his true colours, he had completely lost my trust; something the villagers hold dearly between themselves in their communities, and extending that to me here which I respect and reciprocate.
As I have previously said 90% of the districts buildings collapsed, which has put the school in a corner with no lifelines but our help. I need to know the future of the schools arrangements were secured long term to invest my time, energy and your donations into the project. Without a third party involved in the land I knew we could move forward strongly into a better arrangement. Purna, since I have known him has always possessed a passion to do whatever it takes to save his school and keep the future of Budland School healthy. Purna’s family are seriously involved and rely on the school success also; his wife Dolma as the Principal and his brother is about to enter a teaching position in the school. It was clear how important this was too him, his family and what I see as the best way possible to find the solution to this problem.
Purna and I looked over 3 potential locations. The first location was far too small and was easy to rule out of the equation. The second and third would require some serious excavation and new entrance to the land created to both.
The second potential option has a steep cliff coming down to the typical dirt road access, however to maximize the land we were having to talk about moving the road during the excavation process as it turned out while measuring he owned a section of it. The road would possibly be too close, effectively creating more noise with passing milk trucks, motorbikes and such vehicles.
The Third location we would have to forge a new path to the site; around sixty meters . It was off from the same dirt road to a more beautiful, safe and peaceful area than the second option and even their current location. This location I was seeing more potential, also requiring a simpler excavation with less village disruption.
Both these two locations were of similar size and the locations had better access points for other village’s children to also attend with ease for their education, enhancing the village infrastructure. The prospects became very exciting. Purna and myself dreamed about its potential together, took time to go through each of the pros and cons; finding ourselves in easy agreement. Purna had to speak to the other directors and I reminded him we would need to rewrite all previous contracts. That all legalities need to be in place with a long lease agreed as soon as possible. That I would like to start prepping the land with an excavation as soon as the ink from the signatures and fingerprints were dry on the pages and before the monsoon arrives. (Nepal legal contracts require signatures and both thumb prints together making it impossible to forge).
As soon as my dear friend Ujwal was free, which became immediately as he was so excited at the new development, due to his worries feeling very much like mine, we organised a meeting with a more seasoned lawyer than we previously had, (my third lawyer, such is life!).
Ujwals new contact in the new lawyer’s offices was incredible; giving us so much time to discuss and renegotiate the new contract while giving us a much more in-depth crash course in Nepali Law which I hadn’t previously had such an honour. After a couple of days it was starting to take shape. One meeting with Purna lasting 5 hours of hard talk back and forth in the lawyers office we were finally happy that the lawyer was going to draw up and amazing contract with all the right clauses, making sure the schools future would stay safe with a long and beautiful future, as much so as its service to the children’s over the next generations. The new agreement also gives the school a greater opportunity to buy the land in the future.
Nepali Law is not so simple, leading Ujwal and I now taking even more future responsibility together in the legal agreements over our lifetimes. This will make sure there will never be any future problems and no corruption will be possible. We take this project and everyone’s support very seriously; it’s a real labour of love for the both of us. Ujwal joining the project in this capacity was a beautiful surprise, a true credit to the project and has amazed me. I am honoured to be voluntarily working with him again into our third year of friendship that’s always been based on the social welfare of people less fortunate than us.
It wasn’t long before we invited all the directors and witnesses to come for a day in Bhaktapur City at the lawyer’s office to agree, sign and fingerprint in front of the Legal body, who is fully supporting our project even giving an amazing pep talk to everyone while Ujwal translated into my ear. Everyone, once again seemed happy that the school will be safe and protected. We can finally move forwards stronger and together.
I am now happy knowing the land is fully secured and feel it is now possible to finally start the next phase of the project and prepare the new land ready to potentially build after the monsoon season with your kind support.
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I would just like to say I am personally donating all start-up costs as my donation to this project , including these legal fees. All donations will be saved until it is time to build and 100% will go to the rebuild. During the building phase I will be publishing all accounts due to my belief that the projects transparency is very important to all involved.
I was sat at the Hostel bar, illuminated behind my computer going over the Project, when I first met Yannick, a young German traveller. The first thing that I noticed was his energy. He started bouncing off my words as I began describing what I was doing. He was listening passionately, I could tell from the types of questions he was throwing at me, full of curiosity and a growing excitement for the project which I felt with every passing moment. It was so easy and stimulating to talk with someone that has the same lust for life. His mind was sharp and open. His English was fluent. I decided that we should go to the bar and get a couple of cold beers from the fridge, to continue our dreaming of the future of this project together. The Donations are still a long way from the target, but when you meet someone for the first time with such an honest belief in what you are doing it is encouraging, it is motivating and it pushes you forwards. It wasn’t long before Yannick put the first donation in the Hostel One96’s donation box, decided he loved the T-shirts that I was not satisfied with from the printers and was soon wearing one around Kathmandu. He just never ceases to amaze.
Ste, Yannick, Berenger and David. Meeting together with early project supporters in Hostel One96.
After such a short amount of time, the next thing Yannick was telling me was that he’s thinking to take on a volunteering role while travelling in Nepal, and wanted to do it within our new Building Budland program. I was amazed. Yannick said he would go for a couple of days to see the village and if it feels right and the project is how its been presented to him he would start to work there. Its been a while since I’ve seen him now, as I have had to leave the country due to my Visa, but we have been in good contact online and he has been a Godsend from everything I am hearing from him, and about him. His drive and passion are a force and took me by surprise, as I was literally just launching the project when our first volunteer is already on his way to the village to help the school, and now he is talking about raising money in Germany on his return home. Incredible.
I asked Yannick to please get some photos and give me an account of his time in Baluwapati at Budland School to share with the people interested in what we are doing. Here is his account of his time helping at the school, in his own words:
Yannick’s account
“While on my 103 day trip to Nepal, I felt that I wanted to further connect with this country and do something different than the lazy everyday backpacker life. When you Start to get around in this touching friendly little country, with the highest mountain in the world and an equal hospitality to everyone who treats them with honest respect, you realise that there is also some room for improvement, which these people deserve in my opinion.
So it was obvious to me that I wanted to do something for them in the volunteer manner. Now its not easy to find a project that is convincing in purpose and useful enough to spend my precious time in Nepal. When I met David within the first day I knew I had found what I was looking for. So a couple of days later I came to Baluwapati and once again the natural kindness of the inhabitants from the roof of the world was stunning. Same like the view, because the village is located at a hill at the foot of the Shiivapuri NP you can See from Nagarkot to Chisapani the whole range of the wooded slope in between. On the other side there is the magnificient Himal massive including the Langtang range and even Everest, at least on clear days, is in sight. I stayed as the first volunteer with Ramesh and his Family and was treated like one of them. I ate their delicious Dahl Bhat twice a day and they showed me how to eat with your hands (technique matters ;-)). I had the chance to improve my Nepali, and soon felt actually like one of the villagers.
In the temporary school building (which to be honest is in a devastating state to be a place of successful studying), I was helping teach the classes. Whilst there everyone was really happy with me and I noticed that this place and the kids there are in need for the benefits of this project. The very small building, made of corrugated Iron, reminded me a little of some hut in one of the slums in outer Kathmandu. The heat at noon was too much especially for my German cold blooded body! So I was sitting there, sweating my ass off, on the soily floor with a little whiteboard I should write on. I felt at first a little bit gloomy, when I remembered how I hated sitting in my climate controlled classroom, with running water (which they don’t have, it needs to be carried there from the next water pump, 1km away), and other facilities like decent desks or books. I felt pretty guilty, even more so when I saw the toddlers of the pre-school crawling around on some thin dirty blankets covering the dirty floor in their ‘classroom’.
The teachers where surprisingly dedicated but I recognized a growing dissatisfaction about the conditions. Even though I was there for a quite short time they honoured me with a touching little ceremony at the end and said I should come back as soon as i can. For everyone who wants to contribute something and who wants to come in touch with a side of Nepal beyond the touristic mentality in Thamel, Kathmandu and Lakeside Pokhara, you should join us on this project in some way.”
Yannick recieveing a Blessing from the Principal, Dolma for his commitment and hard work to support everyone at Budland School.
Since Yannick has finished we have had a great debriefing. This is always important as to improve both the experience for everyone at the school and the volunteers, but also improve the efficiency of what we are doing. Due to Yannick being the first volunteer and him having a very different experience with the school to mine, he has been able to give me much food for thought, with such constructive, positive words that I am now working on creating a much better structure for the teaching volunteers with the school. Yannick has been amazing and still amazes me constantly, I love how he fits into this project and makes it his own too. I am extremely happy that everything has gone well during his time, and that all parties have enjoyed the experience. I look forward to welcoming new volunteers to this project very soon!
Feel free to browse this website and get in touch with us if you too would like to volunteer like Yannick did, making a difference in the world, whilst at the same time, having an unforgettably great experience
There were a few reasons to come back to Baluwapati village now. Firstly Monisa had been missing school over January and I was worried about how things were. Secondly I wanted to make sure that the video footage from last year’s film shoot with Sushil was going to be edited and other loose ends were going to be tied up so I could launch. ‘Building Budland’s’ fundraising needed to start as soon as possible in order to reach our target to build during 2017.
It felt great to be back! It was 21st January and I arrived wearing a pair of shorts. I had never felt Nepal’s big chill before, and it was freezing. I was more concerned than last time however, as was Ujwal (my old friend from the work after the earthquakes, and loyal partner on this project). The concern was mostly due to Ram and Monisa’s unexplained absence from school and the village. It was strange that this time nobody in the village knew for sure where they had gone. My initial reaction was to think that maybe they were at Ram’s sister’s house in Sindopalchuck, another area devastated by the earthquakes in 2015, also struggling to recover.
Ram had expressed he had wanted to marry again and have a solid family life, and that he had met a woman in Sindopalchuck. This came as a surprise to me after such recent hard times, but he had looked much better the last time I saw him. I was thinking to jump on a motorbike and find the village whilst on a road trip to see my friends and check they are OK. Ram and I have previously expressed the desire to take a road trip together to meet this mysterious woman, but sadly it has not yet been possible. Ram meanwhile had arrived back in the village whilst I was on the plane to Nepal, and so my worries were eased! He had moved away briefly for work to support his family, and couldn’t manage his worries for his daughter being alone (it turned out that it was his mother who had gone to visit his sister in Sindopalchuck).
It had not been an easy trip for either of them, especially in the coldest months Nepal has to offer, with Ram being uneducated and having to work for long hours for only 600 rupees ( 6 USD) a day, I was worried where he would stay, wherever he went, but I respected him for being the man of his family and doing what it takes to resolve his situation. Ram is such an honest man with dignity and doesn’t like asking for help. When I saw them it was clear they had not had the easiest time, and I was still concerned, not wanting them to fall into the same situation again.
Ramesh, Pārbati, Ujwal and I all reminded Ram that we can always help make sure Monisa is comfortable and safe in the village if he has to go for work, camping out, battling the harsh conditions of winter in Nepal. We also reinforced to Ram that he wasn’t alone, that we are all in this world together, to support our friends as much as we can, and to help constructively support him through the tough times as a single father. What are we, after all, after a growing history of time and hardships and problem solving together, if our relationships are not cemented in strong friendship? No man is an island, as they say. Finally, after a long conversation, it was time for a small celebration; we were all back together again, after all!
BACK TOGETHER : David, Ram, Ramesh, Parbati and MonisaBuilding Budland movie Premier
It wasn’t long before I was in the Editing Studio with Shushil Baba Chhetri; a future legend in the making; editing the videos you can see on the website. It was an honour to be next to a professional working in an editing suite making the difficult decisions on the footage and music. I was mainly just there for him to consult on some of those decisions. He was well organised and managing to fit this project into his very busy schedule, as it was coming together I felt relieved that we were almost ready to launch after months of learning and hard work building a website.
Building Budland movie Premier: The School children enjoying seeing themselves in the project movies.
I was also relieved that an old friend of mine; Daniel, who I met volunteering in Kolkata, was still in contact with me and agreed to help edit and perfect the writing on the website, its already been such a long road and the launch of the fundraising is really just the beginning!
Back in Baluwapati I have been looking over the ground plan on site, looking at the land we have and how we can best serve it, and the school, getting ready for the design and costing phase of the project, even learning more about the Eco-friendly earthbricks and how we can make them (while visiting a different building project nearby with some local building tradesmen I met last year in Nepal). These bricks seem to be gaining some great recognition here in Nepal, and hopefully with machines to use on our project free of charge, they seem like a natural and exciting building medium to be using during construction.
Whilst in the village I have been talking to the school about setting up a volunteer program with Ramesh as well. Ramesh enjoys being a part of the conversation and has always been passionate to give service to his community. Eventually we will need volunteers for the construction, but it made sense to begin helping improve the lesson quality and spoken English straight away. Speaking English really does optimise a rural Nepali child’s potential in a developing nation largely dependent on tourism. Ramesh can communicate well and can also host in his house, but we are looking into making small comfortable bamboo bungalows for the volunteers to stay in as well, and have already started collecting and buying materials.
While tying up loose ends in the capital city of Kathmandu I bumped into a very passionate young German traveller, Yannick. He was very interested in this project from the start of our first conversation, and it turns out he is indeed a man of his word. Yannick put the first 1000 rupee (10 USD) note in our new donation box at HostelOne96 and said he would love to go to the village to see the situation. He came back even more passionate than when he went, deciding that he would like to be our first volunteer in the school in a teaching role, and hopefully go on to do some fundraising afterwards. As soon as we can we will update you with both Yannick and Ramesh’s progress in Baluwapati.
With every passing day I become more nervous of launching such a large fundraiser, but the excitement, passion and belief in this project; along with the support and encouragement I have received so far, all drive me forward and calm down those nerves. Everything is coming together, and I am feeling a lot of positive energy. It’s a slow start, but people are already interested, and we welcome you to join with us on this unique journey.
Arriving back in Nepal in June 2016, after eight long months away, I was finally here again revisiting Baluwapati. My heart was warmed to be reacquainted with the familiar faces from last year’s project; building a house for Monisa and her family after the earthquakes of 2015; where I also reached out;- promising Monisa a good education for life.
My return was primarily focused on checking her education was going well over the last year since we put her in school. I was in constant contact over the eight months I was away, it means so much more being here again seeing the progress and looking over her work. It makes me very emotional as I am very proud of how she has started; she is doing so well. The school years run over the year from April to April, after six months of school she had been successful enough to go up to the LKG year, where she is now only two years behind her age. The year has not gone without its problems but the progress made so far fills me with optimism. When leaving I knew the situation was brittle, but with contact and support from dear friends here, it is working. I also felt my return at this point was very necessary.
The biggest problem facing the situation was her attendance. Monisa was starting to fall behind a little due to missing too many days from school. This was becoming too regular over the month before I arrived back. It was concerning that her father had not fully come to terms with the change, still not yet understanding the importance of an education. Another problem was homework, due to her family not understanding the need for it. Monisa wasn’t getting time at home to really focus on her studies. Any other issues seemed normal for a child her age in a new school that has had to adjust to the surroundings and make friends for the first time.
Ram, her father, was working more which was encouraging, but sometimes taking her to watch him work causing her to miss a full day of school. As an uneducated man he is generally doing hard labour for whatever’s available on about 600 rupees (six USD) a day.
Speaking to my very good friend Ramesh (who I stay with in the village) helped me find a solution to this problem. Ramesh had very warm feelings and thought he could help. As he said in his own words;
“My wife and I never had a daughter, and we have become fond of Monisa; so would love to help with this problem. Maybe we can do breakfast here, care for her uniform and send her to school in the mornings. After school, she can come here to get changed and do her homework before going home.”.
These words were the encouragement I needed. What beautiful friends of ours!
I was also hoping for Monisa to establish a relationship with a trusted older woman in the village, someone to talk to and feel comfortable with as she grows up. Without a mother, Monisa will need to learn life skills about hygiene and eventually body changes in years to come. It is so important for her to trust an elder woman with open conversation, which is only a good thing if the relationship starts now, that if they really feel up to it, I would love for them all to be her trusted confidants in the village. Ramesh’s wife agreed, saying she could take on some of these responsibilities.
To keep myself busy in the village while visiting, I was already sorting out Monisa’s house with a good quality toilet and wash room facility. I also offered to build Ramesh and his wife a wash room with a shower facility to help with the new situation. I was feeling a lot more confident moving forward and facing the issues we had with my sponsorship of this amazing girl. Ramesh has always been beside me on other problem solving missions in the village. He helped when he could, and is indeed a great friend of mine. So off to work we went, building these facilities together with our other dear friend Sukram, a local carpenter.
On my visits to the Budland School, it was apparent that they were still in dire need of certain facilities. Dolma, the school Principal approached me one day while walking to school with Monisa. She was a little nervous to be asking, as she knew I was already helping with toilets and wash rooms in the village. Dolma said there was no money available at the moment and they are still very much in need of toilets. It’s becoming a hygiene problem with sixty three children having no where to go about their business. Obviously with me sponsoring a child in the school, this meant a lot to me, and my heart felt for the situation. I said I would speak to Sukram and see what we could arrange together. I asked what their situation was about rebuilding the school again and her face seemed troubled. She said she was not so optimistic of it happening in the near future. Sukram was very keen and generous with his time to help and extremely fair with his cost and his skills, so it wasn’t long before we started work on three new toilets for the school with what we could afford without donations.
Purna and Santa, two Directors of Budland were more than happy to help build the toilet which made the job much faster. With Purna being able to supply the amount of wood needed for the toilet frame, Santa was very skilled and fast with the concreting of the toilet floors. Seeing them so passionate to help, and through conversation with them whilst working, I grew more concerned about the School’s situation, and indeed, about its very survival.
I strongly believe in the school and the service the school is providing. The development I had seen in Monisa in a very short time led me to ask if we could have a meeting with all of the school Directors and the Principal present also.
Over a couple months we met several times and spoke openly back and forth about what is needed to move forward. I also spoke to the local authorities and the VDC government office, who said they would also support me with helping the people of the village.
After finishing the toilets, with hygiene on my mind, when visiting with my friend Gaeton, we realised that the children of the village had seriously unsatisfactory oral health. He had inspired me to do an oral health class for the school, to teach the children about why and how to brush their teeth, something I had already been doing with Monisa. My friend Gaeton had been doing these classes in other regions of Nepal and had just come back from Agra. We bought seventy tubes of toothpaste with free toothbrushes for pretty small change. Soon, I headed back to the village alone to co-ordinate the class with the teachers. It seemed a great success!
As the dialogue continued with the school directors, I made it very clear that I wanted to help them. I mentioned that it would be beneficial for a scholarship program to be implemented in order to help the other children that are not in school, who may have family problems and would excel more in a school with smaller class sizes. I expressed the need to look for the most under privileged children every year, the most extreme cases where we can really make a difference together.
We invited the landowner to the meetings, who also agreed to sign a contract that secures the longevity of the school for a minimum of one hundred years, to protect the donations. With the school committing to the scholarships it started to feel like a worthwhile project. With no further delay I spoke to a lawyer as quick as possible, to draw up a legal contract between us all to create a strong foundation for the project. I got the contract approved by my contact in the VDC government office before finally we all signed it together.
The project was born!
Next we will need to speak to an architect and work on a design, along with a more accurate costing, so as to get an approval to build an earthquake resistant design.
I feel we can start the fund raising now, whilst also asking as many people as possible to be a part of it by donating. For anybody that would like to be a part of this project and be involved in the many activities, please get in touch with us. All information will be published on the website as soon as it is available.
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