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

How to Acquire Land In Uganda

Meaningful Volunteer is a registered CBO (Community Based Organization) in Uganda.  A kind soul has donated land upon which we will build our school.  To get an official land title for the land (which will be owned by the CBO), this is what we need to do.


Misc things needed

• Printed copy of constitution of the CBO
  
  
• 3 colored passport photos of people authorized to sign on Meaningful Volunteers behalf
  
  
• CBO Certificate

1. Evidence of donation/consent to donate land.
   
   This is in the form of a memorandum of understanding.  This must be signed by representative of Meaningful Volunteer and the owner of the land (the Minister).  It must be witnessed by
   
   The LC1 of the community
   
   The Land Committee of Nalusala
   
   Note: The Minister is a busy woman… Maybe she can sign the form and then call the LC1 and so on to confirm that she was the person to sign it.
   
   
2. Fill out Form 4 – Application for Conversion from Customary Tenure to Freehold Tenure/Grant of Freehold.
   
   
3. Attach a copy of the CBO certificate to the form, along with constitution of the CBO, and 3 colored passports of MV signatory.
   
   
4. Hand over all forms to Nalusala Land Committee.  There is a 20,000 shilling filing fee
   
   
5. Land Committee post forms in community
   
   
6. Wait 30 days to see if anyone objects
   There is some confusion here.  It might also be 14 or 21 days.   We’ll wait 30 days just to be safe.
   
   
7. Land committee holds a public meeting.
   The neighboring land owners are the most important people to have present.
   
   
   They make an approximate sketch of the land of Form 23.  The size of the land must be included.
   
   Note: At this stage the CBO (Meaningful Volunteer Organization) is the customary owner of the land, so a representative of Meaningful Volunteer signs in the “Customary Owner section.
   
   
8. The Land Committee writes a report recommending the application to the Land Office (located in the District Engineer’s Office in Sironko).
   
   
9. The District Land Board in Sironko will then meet to discuss the application and (hopefully!) approve it.
   
   
10. A private surveyor is then contacted.
    
    
11. The surveyor constructs a certified deed plan and sends in to Entebbe, which eventually winds its way back to Mbale
    
    
12. The District Land Board in Mbale should then (hopefully!) give Meaningful Volunteer a deed to the land.

Wish us luck!

Bricks are Heavy

Jimalee works hard while I take pictures

Following on from my startling discovery yesterday that solar panels work better in direct sunlight, I bring you further news:

Bricks are heavy.

Hard to believe I know.

I started today with the intention of ensuring that we have enough bricks to build the school.  Turns out we do, which is good news. As an added bonus, all the bricks are quick close to the site of the school, so we will need wheelbarrows to move the bricks, as opposed to trucks.

The locals make bricks from mud.  They have a metal mould which shapes the mud. The bricks are fired inside of a large kiln, which is also made from mud bricks.

Today, some locals and I deconstructed a kiln so we could use the mud bricks that it is constructed from.

This is when I made my discovery that bricks are heavy. For about four hours we slaved in the hot sun turning the kiln into a neat pile of bricks.

And now – ugh – I am exhausted.  Constructing this school is either going to make me the fittest man in the world, or kill me.  I’m not sure which at this stage…

Final (?) Solar Lesson

Hot spotting the panels

Pop Quiz: Where’s a good place to put your solar panels?  In the shade of your porch, or out in the blazing hot sun of Africa?

If you said “blazing hot sun of Africa”, then you are smarter than me.

For most of the day I had the panels in the shade of the porch.  I was wondering why we just weren’t getting enough juice to power all our gadgets.  Perhaps – I pondered – I could make the panels more efficient somehow.  Maybe I could tilt then towards the sun?

And then it hit me like a ton of stoopid. Put the panels in the sun!

Ugh.  Idiot.
I am currently powering up four laptops, playing music, and charging one cellphone.  This is so much better than what we could do before

Negotiating with Sore Feet

The Streets of Mbale

I’m the first to admit that I am terrible at negotiating.  I’m happy if the price hasn’t increased when the deal is sealed.

I have to make adjustments here in Uganda though.  We are trying to build a solar powered school with not-enough-money.  I just have to toughen up.

I recently walked all over Sironko and Mbale looking for good deals for the doors and windows for the school.

I started in the dusty streets of Sironko where I found a guy welding a canopy onto a truck using a sprite bottle (!) as safety goggles.  He said he could do the door for 450,000 shillings (~ $US200).  “Fine,” I thought, “I have a point of reference now”.

Then it was off the much bigger town of Mbale where I found a similar establishment.  They said they could do the door for 500,000 shillings.  I pointed out that I lived near Sironko and that there was a guy there happy to do it for 450,000.

“Fine,” they responded.  “We’ll do it for 450,000.”

I further pointed out that I still may as well get it in Sironko if they price was the same as I wouldn’t have to worry about transport.

I suggested that if they do it for 400,000, and do the windows for us as well, and transport them to Sironko for free, then we have a deal.

The agreed!  I was quite proud of myself.

My next step is to ask the guy in Sironko if he wants to do it for less than 400,000.

Maybe, maybe, I can get it for even less.

Not Feeding the Hungry

Under what circumstance would you not give a hungry kid food?

This question pops up every day for everyone working here at Meaningful Volunteer in Uganda.

Numerous studies show that kids can retain much more information when they are operating on a full stomach.  For this reason, we give all our students a jam sandwich and a sugary drink before the lesson starts.

Our students are always keen to get started on their lessons and often turn up quite early.  The mzungus (white people) are quite interesting to the local children, so they turn up as well.

This places us in a tricky position.  We want to feed the students, but we don’t want to feed every child.

Why not?

We just can’t afford it.  If we were perhaps nice to a random kid and gave them a sandwich as well, then no doubt that kid would turn up the next day with their buddies and expect to be fed again.  The process repeats and we end up feeding the whole village!  We just don’t have the money for that.

It does mess with you mind when you give the students food while hungry kids look on.

It will be a bit easier when we have our own self-contained classrooms and no longer have to operate on the front porch of the guesthouse.

Do you disagree? Do you think we should be feeding all the kids?  Great!  Send me some money and I’ll make sure it will happen.

Solar Lessons

Cool and Not COol

In news that will surprise no one, setting up a solar powered school is hard!  We are already making some mistakes and learning lessons.

Take the much vaunted solar system for example.  The thing has been driving me nuts over the last few days.

The damn battery just would not charge up.  Even a measly cell phone charge proved too much for it.

So where was the problem?  Was it the battery? The panels? The solar controller? The inverter? The cabling?  The African sun being too cold?

At one point or another, I had myself convinced that it was at least one of those things.  Well, except for the African sun being too cold.

Turns out it was none of those things.

Remember back here when I watched the Champions’ League final with the locals via a solar-powered TV?

Turns out that I had drained too much power from the battery.  There is a certain minimum voltage that you just shouldn’t go below and I went under it.  This meant that the resistance of the battery became too high for the solar panels to effectively recharge the battery.  It would have eventually got there, but it would have taken months.

So I had to lug the extremely heavy battery all the way to Mbale to have someone recharge it for me.

All is well now!

Evelyn Surprises

Non-discarded books

When I was in Uganda about a year ago, we were making great strides in increasing the literacy rates of children who couldn't even recognize letters, let alone read words.

Due to various unforeseen circumstances, the program had to put on hold for a number of months. 

Now that I am back, what did I expect to see?  Not much.  I had imagined the kids would have forgotten all that we try to achieve and had recycled their books into something else.

And then Evelyn turned up.  Not only with the books that we issued her, but even the original pencil we gave her.

Eveyln

I was so touched!  Not only that she had kept her book, but that she had been asking about me and when I would return for months. 

People like Evelyn are why we do what we do at Meaningful Volunteer.  She wants to learn and is keen to learn and hunts me down so that she can learn!

Esther also turned up not long after Evelyn.  And then Alamazan.  And then Brian.  And then the rest of the motley crew.

Jimalee - the new meaningful volunteer, is running the new classes and is making great progress.

Some Quick Updates from Uganda

I know a lot of you are very keen to learn what has been happening on the ground on Uganda, so here are some quick updates:

• Solar panels have all arrived safely and we have power at the guest house
  
  
  
• We also have internet at the guest house
  
  
  
• Interviews have begun to find the new district manager for Uganda
  
  
  
• The land has been acquired for the school
  
  
  
• A security guard has been employed
  
  
  
• The village police have been informed of our presence and know what to do in the unlikely event of something bad happening.
  
  
  
• A builder has been employed to help us build the school.
  
  
  
• And in the most amazing update of all: I have yet to acquire malaria for the fifth time...
  

A Great Way to Watch Football

Early days before the bigger
crowd arrived

Where were you for the 2008 World Cup final?  I was watching the game on a 14 inch TV with about 50 or so other people in a small village in Togo.

What about the 2011 Champions League final?  Once again, I watched it with 50 or so others on a small 14 inch TV, but this time in the small rural parish of Buyaya.

I was talking to the locals about the game and they said there was a beat-up old TV up the hill.  If I could provide the power, they could get the TV.

One enthusiastic lad bolted up the hill and returned an hour later with the TV.  I did some jiggery-pokery with the solar setup and Bam!  We were away!

Apparently some teams played and some goals were scored. All of which were purely secondary to the experience itself.

Where was I for the 2004 World Cup final?  Or the 2008 Champions League final?  No idea.  But I guess I was watching on some flat 40 inch flat-screen TV at someone's house.

*yawn*

Gimme a 14 inch screen and fifty or so Africans to watch the game with. Much more memorable and much more exciting.

The Most Beautiful Thing in the World

The long awaited solar panels on the conveyor belt at Entebbe airport

The Walk of the Damned: Transit Hell in Ethiopia

A corner store in Ethiopia inadvertently
sums up my Ethiopian experience

Would you be comfortable if you had confirmed a flight to Uganda?

What if you had merely booked a flight to Uganda?
Is there a difference?  Turns out there is.  I had booked my flight, but hadn’t confirmed my flight to Uganda. 

What this meant in practice was that I was one of four poor bastards left behind to watch our booked (but not confirmed) flight disappear into the difference. 

This meant I was in some sort of transit limbo in Ethiopia.

What was even more concerning was what had happened to the solar panels I was transporting?  I harassed and re-harassed many airline staff and they ensured me that the panels would be on the flight I would be on. 

But, ya know…. *shrugs*

The four of us left did the walk of the damned through the airport as we were shuffled between various checkpoints before being carted off to the Pacific Hotel.  I was woken after six hours of comatose sleep before being carted off back to the airport.

I know have a boarding pass.  I’ll probably be on the 10 o’clock flight to Uganda and pick up my luggage and solar panels.

But, ya know…. *shrugs*

Post script: Happy ending!

Getting Paranoid About Safety

Signs of war:
A bullet ridden wall in Kitgum

Back in November '06 I headed up to Kitgum in Northern Uganda.

At the time, the war between the LRA and the government was under ceasefire conditions as the opposing factions attempted peace talks (they failed).  It felt like I was almost sneaking in before hostilities broke out again.

Kitgum was messed up.  Death and violence seemed to be everywhere:

• Bullet holes surrounded the walls World Food Program headquarters
  
• So many funerals due to malaria and HIV were happening at the internally displaced people (IDP) camps
  
• Bullet wounds and mutilations were not hard to spot

I could go on, but I won't.

I was there to set up Grassroots Uganda: a non-profit organisation that empowers Ugandan women via jewellery made from paper beads.  Grassroots Uganda has proved to be quite successful making over $45,000 in 2010.

As I look back on Kitgum, I can't help but think what a bloody stupid thing it was to do!

The arrogance of it was amazing.  I was entering into a very dangerous area almost looking for trouble.  Heck, there were even government troops lining the roads into Kitgum armed with RPGs!

Stupid.  Stupid.  Stupid.  

As I write this, I am about eight hours away from boarding a flight to Uganda.  

There is some unrest in Uganda at the moment. The government is cracking down on peaceful protests with tear gas and rubber bullets.  At last count, nine people have died.

I am going to go out of my way to avoid these hotspots.  No protest photography. No pictures of tear gas, tear gas canisters, riot police, or shotgun shells.  I am just gonna stay the hell away.

Why the change of heart?  

When I first went to Kitgum, I only had myself to worry about.  If something bad happened, it would have been my own stupid fault.

There are two reasons why I will be more careful this time.  

Firstly, I am fan of martyrdom.  The trick is to do it sacrifice your life for a cause one day at time, and not go out in a single blaze of glory.

Secondly, there are some very important people in my life.  It wouldn't be fair on them if I disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Heading off to Uganda

Max Trevena - Meaningful Volunteer's
oldest volunteer, and my dad!

May 24th will see me head off to Uganda for a third time.  I can't wait!

A further nine or so volunteers will be joining me, including my 68 year old dad!  We've got many awesome projects to do:

• Build a solar powered school
  
• Start a fair trade fashion label
  
• Distribute $U 1,500 worth of mosquito nets and educate people in their use
  
• Start English and computer literacy programs

As I sit back and look at that list, it all looks quite daunting.  But I know that we will have an awesome group of volunteers coming and nigh on one years worth of planning has gone into this.  

We plan to nail all of these projects, but even if we only nail one of them, then we are going to have a long term and positive impact of the people of Buyaya.

Watch this space to see what happens!