Building a School in Nepal

Nepal

I often said that building the first school was going to be the hardest one.  Once we delivered that project on time and in budget, we would find the second school much easier to fund and build.  "Gimme money to build a school" is so much harder than "Gimme money to build another school".

And that is what has happened.  I learnt recently that Meaningful Volunteer would receive funding for another solar powered school.  Most excellent.

After much talking with the Meaningful Volunteer staff, we decided on the country of Nepal to set up the school.

It is great to have the country and the finances both checked off.

But there is still the non-trivial matter of actually building the school.  Here are some of things we need to check off before we can get the school built:

• Location
  Nepal seems to split into two.  One side is more developed and has a bunch of NGOs (non-government organizations).  The other is less developed and bereft on NGOs.
  
  We're likely to go for the less developed side. Less NGOs means less corruption and the need is likely to be more. Our biggest challenge is likely to be the roads.
• Safety.   Safety.   Safety.
  Wherever we choose, it's gotta be safe.  This overrides any other considerations we might have.
  
  My heart is firmly placed in Northern Uganda.  The North would no doubt benefit with some Meaningful Volunteer projects, but is just too damn dangerous.
  
  If there is a similar area in Nepal, we won't be going there. This is likely to rule out border towns.
• Somewhere for volunteers to stay
  We were lucky to find a gated compound for volunteers to stay in Uganda.  We will need to find somewhere similar in Nepal that's safe, secure and comfortable.
• Conduct a census
  One of the very sensible things we did in Buyaya, was to conduct a census.  Once we have established a location in Nepal, we will do the same.
  
  This will help us get to grips with what the needs are in the community.
• Establishment of a legal entity
  The Meaningful Volunteer CBO (community based organization) legally owns the land and the school in Uganda.  A similar entity needs to be established in Nepal.
• Internet Access
  Internet access is a must.  I'm sure I don't need to spell out why it is so useful.  A USB device that access the cellphone network is the most likely Internet option.
• Reconnaissance
  We'll need to send someone over to Nepal to answer these questions and sort these issues out before we can start construction on the school.

This list seems overwhelming at times.  But we got it done in Uganda and I'm sure we can get it done again in Nepal.

(This is also on the crazymalc blog)

School for Andy Progress: A Photo Narrative

**Photo Credit: Kayla Galway**

The School for Andy is well on its way! The past month has been incredibly productive.

On June 28^th, we had the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the school. Many people from Buyaya attended to hear speeches from Meaningful Volunteer staff and local officials, bless the school, listen to drummers, and of course, eat delicious food and socialize.

The builders wasted no time getting started!

Bricks were already baked on site.

A trench was dug and filled within the first week

Then came the challenging part: filling the foundation with rocks… which we carried from all over the area.

There was a lot of concrete to be mixed

Which involves lugging a lot of water from the well, which is approx. a quarter mile away.

Meanwhile, we were still teaching classes! Everyone is excited to be learning in the school (instead of our crowded volunteer house porch)

Another week goes by and the walls of that school are built up….

And the school is ready for its roof!

Stay tuned! Photos of roof, windows, door, and painting still to come!

Taken For a Ride or Just the Way Things Are Done?

Working hard on the foundation

In news that is not really surprising, Meaningful Volunteer’s solar powered school has cost more than we thought.

For a start, the initial quote for the materials that the builder gave us was wildly off.  12,000 bricks?  More like 5,000 bricks.  $35 for sand? Try $400 for sand. 20 cents per foot of timber?  40 cents is much closer to the mark.

There was no malice on the part of our builder.  He doesn’t make any profit from the materials. It just makes controlling the budget nigh on impossible.

There also seems to be the unwritten rule in Uganda building contract law: “Builders” do all the technical work, while “porters” do all the heavy lifting, mixing of concrete, moving rocks and so on.

This annoyed me no end to start with.  I kept on thinking: We’re paying you good money.  Why can’t you just move that god damned bag of cement!

And then people would move rocks for us early in the morning without seeking prior approval from us and then expect to get paid.  I was so irate.  I was venting to people around me.  “They can’t do random work for us and then expect us to pay them.  That’s like blackmail.    And I’m sure as hell not gonna be paying them 4,000 shillings for a day’s work.  They can take 1,000 now for the rocks, or 3,000 later for a day’s work.  Either way, I don’t give a shit!”

Once I had calmed down a bit and talked to some people wiser than me – both African and fellow volunteer – I let it go.  It just wasn’t worth the mental toll it was taking on me.  The builder vs. contractor thing is just the way things are done here.  We are not being taken for a ride.

It reminds me a little of concept of time both here and in the Philippines.  When I first arrived in the Philippines, it drove me nuts.  “Let’s meet at midday” somehow meant that turning up at two in the afternoon was perfectly okay.  As soon as I realized that it was the way things were done, I let it go and life got better.

Despite all the stress, the first stage of the school is almost done.  The roof is set to go up on Monday.

I Love Hard Work. I Could Watch It for Hours.

Hard Work Not Done by Me

Day one of our solar school project is successfully under way, but no credit goes to the volunteers.

Day one saw the initial technical tasks undertaken by the Ugandan builders that we contracted.  They spent several hours getting the dimensions of the school exactly square using nails, string, and some branches of nearby trees.

The next few hours were spent digging deep trenches.  Large rocks will be placed in the trenches, followed by much smaller rocks and then the bricks themselves to form the walls.  The dirt from the trenches will be packed back into the trenches to ensure a strong wall.

Today should see a lot more “hard yacka” (as we say in New Zealand) by the volunteers as we move around bricks, rocks, sand, and water.

Solar Building Ingredients

The Supplies Arrive

Today was a good day.

We purchased the bulk of the supplies today for the solar school, threw them in the back of a truck, and took them up to Buyaya.  All we need to do is mix the ingredients together and we will have ourselves a school.

Megin and dad travelled inside the truck’s cab, and I rode outside on the flatbed of the truck.

As I rode on the truck and watched Buyaya zoom by, I couldn't help but reflect on our arduous journey to get our first school built.  There have been ups and downs, tears, and joyous shouts as we nailed seemingly insurmountable problems.

And now it is finally happening.

Today was a good day.

You’re Wasting Your Time Teaching Evelyn to Read

Evelyn, Esther and Alamazan.
A waste of time?

Recently a respected member of the community came to visit our phonics class for kids who struggle to read letters, let alone words.

One of the students in the class is called Evelyn.  Evelyn loves studying with us.  She is often early, always enthusiastic, and a pleasure to teach.  Evelyn is about 12 years old.

The aforementioned community member pointed her out and said: “You’re wasting your time with this one.”

He went on to explain that we’d be better off to teach the 5-6 year olds so that they could hit the ground running when they enter primary school.  Evelyn is just too far behind.

His point does seem to have some truth to it.  Looking through Evelyn’s science book shows that she is learning about different species of birds, variations in bird beaks and diets, and so on.  Well, I say “learning”, but I really mean “copying from the blackboard”.  She has no idea what she is copying down.

Even if we had a magic wand and could instantly teach Evelyn to read, she would still struggle to catch up in all her subjects.

On the flip side, Evelyn is a wonderful human being capable of making tremendous change in this world given the right tools.  The ability to read and write is the first tool that she needs to unlock her potential.

What do you think?  Are we wasting our time with kids like Evelyn? Are we better off focusing on a much younger demographic?

Busting Rocks and Saving Eyes

Some cool dudes

The solar-powered school we are building requires a lot of concrete and concrete is expensive.

In Uganda they use aggregates to reduce concrete costs.  Aggregates are small pieces of rock about 3cm wide.  These are placed inside the foundation of the school before the concrete is poured in, thus saving on expensive concrete.

As I type this I hear the sounds of rocks being busted.  Just across from the guest house are a couple of guys we have hired to gather aggregates for us.   It’s a very simple technique.  They take a big rock and turn it into a pile of small rocks via the use of a hammer.

The going rate for a wheelbarrow full of aggregates is about $US 1.75.

One problem with this technique is that small splinters of rocks fly into the worker’s eye and they sometimes lose the eye.

I want a cool school, but not if it requires the loss of an eye.  So, as a very primitive safety technique I gave the workers some sunglasses.  They were most pleased