Lumsa micro hydro worksite

Location:  Lower Solu Khumbu district, 2 days walk from Salleri village

Date: January 2012

Partner: Lumsa village and Lumsa Micro Hydro Steering Committee

Beneficiaries:  109 households/ appx 500 residents

Objective: To complete a micro hydro system to bring electricity to all houses in the village.

Wiring up the village

Details: This project was funded by the Nepalese rural development NGO REMREC, their local VDC, the Lumsa community and a loan from a Kathmandu business and NAFA.  This business loan of NPR 800,000 was almost repaid by NAFA and NAFA supporters in two payments of AUD $5,000 and AUD $4,600.  Due to the good exchange rate this the total repayment came to NPR 752,497  which left approximately $500 for the  community to repay. Once all monies were available the community engaged a technical firm (Multiservice) to construct the generator and turbine.

The water pressure drives the turbine in the powerhouse

The community began the process of laying pipe, constructing the powerhouse and water channels under supervision of 2 sub-engineers from Multiservice and visits from REMREC engineer based in Salleri. The channels from the main water source was over 500 mtrs in length and the pipe from the top of the water supply down to the power house was approximately 300 mtrs.These metal pipes had to be supported by stone pillars built by the community The community erected electricity poles and assisted 2 other sub-engineers with the transmission wires from the powerhouse to all sections of the village.

Local villagers trained by the engineers then wired up each house and installed light and power fittings. The community worked continuously for 7 months and through the monsoon, to finish the project and are to be congratulated on the completion of this huge project.

Lighting makes all the difference

Outcomes:  This electricity will allow each household up to 7 CFL lights and small appliances like mobile chargers and radio. The lights will allow the villagers to carry out tasks at night in their homes, the students will be able to complete their homework and study and each household will have an improved lifestyle. In the future the community can apply for funds from a seeding grant of NPR100,000 from REMREC to establish new businesses which will further enhance their area. The village has suggested they could consider businesses such as paper making, apple drying and packaging, wood mill and carpentry and a  central grinding mill for flour.

Community water tap

Location:  Dhading district ( 1 day jeep drive & 1.5 day walk from main roadhead town of Dhading)
Date:  July 2010
Partner: Hilly Region Development Club, Tawal Besi village
Beneficiaries: 50 households and 1 school in the village of Tawal Besi
Objective: Water infrastructure (new pipe/water flow & new tap stands) for a large area below village of Tawal
Details: The water supply for the village of Tawal Besi had virtually stopped and this was shown to NAFA members when they visited in  January 2010.
Outcomes: The project involved laying pipes and constructing 4 reserve tanks and 7 tap stands over this spread-out village. The completed project was visited in November 2011 and was found to be well constructed and greatly appreciated by villagers.

The penstock brings water to the powerhouse

CONGRATULATIONS

to the Lumsa community for their determination and hard work in completing their micro hydro project in 7 months.  The community were very determined to bring electricity to their village, they took out personal and business loans to help raise the money for this project.  Only after these monies were raised were they able to obtain funding from the rural development NGO REMREC to begin the project.

Electricity is brought to the houses

Eighty households participated in the work, sharing the volunteer labour to carry the materials and equipment needed to the site.  Part of a hillside forest has to be cleared for the penstock pipe and half a kilometre of headrace cannels dug to bring the water from the source.  Some of the Lumsa electricity committee took time away from their trekking jobs to source, plan and complete this project.

Lighting makes all the difference

Khili Sherpa said after the project was completed and the electricity has been connected to her home – ‘now that I have light it seems that before at night I was walking around with my eyes shut’.  Yangi Sherpa said that she was now able to watch the children doing their homework while preparing dinner and would be saving money on kerosene which she used for lighting.

Cultural day and fundraising walk

Bring the family and enjoy a fun day out and you’ll be helping Nepal Australia Friendship Association (NAFA) build a children’s nursery in a remote village in Nepal.

Sunday 11 September 2011

Simpson Falls picnic ground, Mt Coot-tha off Sir Samuel Griffith Drive

Fundraising Walk starts at 9am  – Adults $10, Child $5, Family $20

You can join in an easy 90 minute hike in the beautiful Mt Coot-tha bush

Free cultural activities from 11am to 1pm

If you don’t wish to join in the walk you can still enjoy

• meeting Brisbane’s Nepali community,
• scrumptious Nepali food,
• Nepali handicraft stalls,
• Nepali dance and cooking lessons,
• massages, games for the children and plenty of prizes.

Getting there: vehicle parking at Simpson Falls picnic ground

Link to more information, registration and sponsorship forms

Each year our members volunteer their time for big and small projects in Nepal. Our main projects are recorded on the website but during their stay in Nepal our members experience many different and unusual events. The newsletter was created to share these incidents with you. They give a more personal view of our work in Nepal and go some way to explain our continued fascination and interest in this diverse and wonderful country.

NAFA Newsletter 1

NAFA Newsletter 2

NAFA Newsletter 3

Partially built classrooms

Location: Ramechap district (1 day drive on Jiri road east from Kathmandu)
Date: August 2011
Partner:  Community Development Society (CDS), Manthali
Beneficiaries: 500 students at Karkala Devi English Boarding School and another 70 additional students will benefit
Objective: Construct 6 classrooms on top of existing school
Details:  CDS was able to obtain funds for 75% of the construction costs and applied to NAFA for the remaining amount of $3,785 to start the construction.  We were advised that previously the 6 classes were taught in temporary sheds with tin roof.

Outcomes:  The application was approved at the NAFA August 2011 meeting for the construction of 6 classrooms and funds transferred soon after through the Joy Foundation Nepal. The NAFA Nepal Project Coordinator visited the school in mid January 2012 to view the construction of the classrooms.

The classrooms still required the cement roof to be poured after which the interior would be soon finished. The principal advised that the rooms would be ready for the start of the new school year.  Since the application was received at the beginning of the year the school had started class 7 and 8.  They now advised that when these classrooms are finished the school would be able to go up to class 10.

Keshari

Date: 2009 ongoing

Partner: Vinayak Shiksha Niketan (VSN) English Secondary School & Creative Learning Academy (CLA) School in Thimi, Seabird International (Higher Secondary) college in Thimi, Prisoners Assistance (PA) Nepal, Shree Pasang Chowk School, Tawal

Objectives: To improve employment opportunities for young Nepali students involved in three NAFA supported projects: Prisoners Assistance Nepal (PA Nepal); Tawal School and VSN/CLA Schools and Seabird college (Thimi); and for young people with disabilities supported by JOY Foundation Nepal.

Details: The FEAT program focuses on students in Grades 10, 11 and 12 who are approaching or recently have attained their School Leaving Certificate (at the end of Grade 10 in Nepal); students with a disability; and other young people who have reached their educational potential and are seeking vocational training opportunities to increase their chances of finding their first job. Each situation is considered on its merits. FEAT students commit to doing volunteer work in their community to give back to the wider community and share the benefits of their higher education or vocational training.

Keshari is an example of a VSN graduate student who is benefitting from the FEAT progam. Keshari comes from a subsistence farming family. She made good use of support received from NAFA’s educational sponsorship program, gaining Distinction in the Grade 10 public SLC exam (2006) and graduating with Distinction at the end of Grade 12.

In 2009 Keshari enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing course at Kathmandu University, after her parents obtained a loan from relatives to pay her admission and first term tuition fees. Now, thanks to the generosity of 5 donors and with a contribution from her parents, the costs of Keshari’s nursing studies are guaranteed for the duration of the course. Keshari has expressed in her own words the heartfelt appreciation she feels about the support her sponsors provide:

“Every student brews in her, the desire to graduate, the desire to acquire higher degrees and the desire to become something that counts, after her study. But because she is “SHE” and she is from uneducated and poor family, all her desires cannot always be fulfilled and in such condition like the streak of light in the pitch darkness; like an oasis in the desert, the support, that NAFA sends for students, works… And now I’m doing bachelor. How very difficult it had been for me and my parents to meet all the fees and expenses of the university. NAFA sponsor again saved me by supporting my study economically. I therefore extend my sincere gratitude and felicitation towards the school and NAFA for arranging this support. It always encourage me to further my education as limelight and inspire to work for the community” (Keshari 24th Feb, 2010).

Ashok training at UCEP Technical College

Outcomes: There are 16 students currently (September 2011) being supported through the FEAT program. Two young people have completed their training.

In 2010 Ashok from Tawal village successfully completed an electrical wiring course at UCEP in Kathmandu and Ashok returned to Tawal where he has set up a small electrical appliance and repair shop. Ashok will be trained to maintain the micro-hydro electricity plant being installed at Tawal. He has successfully wired 200 village houses to receive electricity. Ashok worked diligently to pass his course at UCEP as shown in the supervisor’s report: “According to them (teachers) they are very happy to have Mr. Ashok in their centre and Mr. Ashok is doing his best on the training. Mr. Ashok performance is very good among the students. They are findng him as hard worker and gentleman”.

In 2010 Gopal from Tawal completed a gem cutting course in Kathmandu. He is currently exploring setting up a gem cutting and selling business in Dhading, the nearest large town to Tawal.

Agreni

Brief History:

The child educational sponsorship program for Prisoners Assistance Nepal and Vinayak Shiksha Niketan English Secondary School Thimi commenced in 2003 with 11 children. The purpose was to help disadvantaged children receive a basic education to help break the poverty cycle. Since then we have reached our goal of sponsoring 100 children in these two organisations. NAFA is committed to this program and acknowledges the loyal support of NAFA members and donors. NAFA members sponsor individual children and we offer a unique service where sponsors receive their child’s annual exam results and each child sends a letter to their sponsor to maintain contact. While under no obligation to do so sponsors may send letters and photos to their student.

Prisoner Assistance Nepal (PA Nepal):

An organisation started by Indira Rani Magar to address the problem of lack of care for the children of prisoners.  She has set up homes for these children to give then a sense of family, receive a good education and to maintain their cultural traditions and festivals..

Usha is now in Grade 10

Vinayak Shiksha Niketan English Secondary School Thimi:

The current principal, Surendra Prajapati started the school in 1989 with a borrowed table in one room of his house and 6 students. Over the years with his drive and commitment he has developed the school to grade 10 with 1,000 students. His visionary ideas has improved the school and has a number of extra currucular activites such as a range of sports, scouts and an Eco Club. The school hosts a annual art competition for local schools and takes part in national competitions of traditional dancing, singing and drumming.

 Some of the children who have benefitted from our sponsorship program

Surman works hard at school to improve his life

Agreni  has been sponsored since 2004 and is now studying Bachelor of Pharmacology in our Further Education and Training program (FEAT).

Usha’s father died when she was very young. When Usha was 6 years old and was enrolled in another school in the village. A generous donor offered to pay for her education as her mother had no income and was unable to continue to pay her school fees. She is now in Grade 10 and regularly comes in the top 5 in her class. It is most likely that if Usha wasn’t in school her life would have been one of staying at home every day making wicks from cotton wool for ceremonial oil lamps.

Suman Yongan is one of 4 children who came to the city from a remote area in south western Nepal with his family. The family live alongside the school in one large room with a cold cement floor. Suman’s illiterate parents are employed by the school. They work very long hours cooking, cleaning and maintaining the grounds of the school to enable all their children to receive an education. Suman receives sponsorship support.  He is a very shy boy, a quiet achiever now in class  8 who has topped his class for the last 2 years.

Sachin

Sachin is in class 8. His father died after a long illness and his mother runs a little shop to raise her 2 sons. He tries hard in his school work but finds some of it difficult. Sachin has had to grow up quickly to help his mother and younger brother in their small home and shop.

Meena was attending school with her 2 older brothers but the family were struggling to keep them all at school. It was planned for Meena to leave after class 7 to help her father make clay pots like most of the families in their town. Sponsorship enabled Meena to complete her schooling like her brothers and she now has a job in an office.

Rajan is the youngest of 4 brothers whose father is unable to work after a back injury. Sponsorship enabled Rajan to stay in school but he was easily distracted and showed little respect for his parents who tried to get him to settle down. After a couple of incidents his teachers recommended he be expelled but the headmaster spoke with Rajan and agreed to give him one last chance. Rajan knuckled down and passed his school leaving certificate with good grades. He decided to continue to study and is completing grade 11. His sponsor was advised of his behaviour and of the good outcome and she identified with that. She herself ran away from home when she was a teenager. She thinks they were meant to be connected in the universe!

Jyoti

Jyoti is the youngest of 3 sisters . Their father was in prison and their mother remarried and was unable to care for them. NAFA sponsorship enabled them to finish their schooling. The sisters gave each other emotional support and worked really hard at their studies. All 3 sisters have now passed their school leaving certificate and are continuing to study. They will all become productive members of their community. Jyoti’s dream is to be a medical officer and there’s a possibliity that her dream just may come true.

Join us for our annual Xmas dinner

 at

The Tibetan Kitchen, Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane (upstairs room)

  Cost $25 for a banquet meal

  Booking essential, please contact Betty  betty.harris@parmalat.com.au

before 17th December 2011