Do Good Now chooses to continue the rewarding cooperation with Build up Nepal (BUN) och Tuki Nepal. We are now raising money to create an opportunity for a number of families, in the village of Pathari, to build their own house. In this way, the risk of human trafficking and sexual exploitation is reduced, as the conditions for the families are improved.
Pathari is a poor village in the Kailali district, in western Nepal, 20 km from the Indian border.
The village consists of 36 poor families from mixed background. They came together as they were landless (squatters). After unlawfully squatting (living) on land close to the highway the owner of the land eventually donated less valuable land on which the families now live. The families reside in temporary mud/bamboo shelters. Their land is very small, so they are unable to grow food. Lack of safe homes, no toilets and unstable incomes has made this community particularly vulnerable to the pandemic.
In total 189 people live in the community, of which 94 are female. A total of 76 children, 40 boys and 36 girls, of which most of them attend a nearby school. 23 girls are adolescent (11-18 y/0), at risk of marriage at young age, which is common to poverty. 30 of the families belong to marginalized groups of which 18 are Dalit, 12 Janjaati, and 6 belong to other ethnicities. 5 families belong to Badi (“the untouchables of untouchables”), a group particularly affected by prostitution and human trafficking in Nepal. Read more about Badi´s in these articles: “Cast system binds Nepalese prostitutes“, “Badi Prostitution“.
The families are living in deep poverty, earning on average 5-15,000 NPR (€35-105) per month with three to 13 family members. Their incomes is barely enough to feed themselves. Affording a new home is a distant dream.
Every year the monsoon rain and floods hits the area, forcing the families to constantly repair and rebuild their bamboo-mud shelters. Living in shelters without access to hygiene has made this community vulnerable to disease. They have no toilets and open defecation in the river behind the village is the norm. As a result, stomach problems, typhoid, and diarrhea are chronic challenges.
Do Good Now has decided to raise money to sponsor with the money needed to make it possible for the 15 most vulnerable families, to be able to build their own houses (around 55000 Euro). During the project we hope to be able to raise money to make it possible for all families in the village to build their own houses.
Build up Nepal Engineering is responsible for implementing the project in Nepal including government approvals, house drawings, mobilisation of families, construction work, and completion of houses for the benefit of the families, women, and children in Pathari.
– 15 houses shall be built in disaster resilient design using CSEB Earth Brick -technology, with reinforcements. Most of the houses will be small 2 or 3 room houses depending on the needs and size of the families (see proposed house designs in annex D).
– On-the-job training will be provided to the families in production of CSEB bricks and in disaster resilient construction.
– Each family will be required to provide 1-2 persons to produce CSEB bricks and build the new homes, promoting local ownership and increasing their skills.
– Build up Nepal will work to mobilise the local government to provide some support for the project.
– Project will start in July or August 2021 and will take around 10 months to complete (exact timeline depends on COVID-19 and lockdowns in Nepal).
In these type of projects, it is very important that the local government supports the effort and that they also contribute to the success of the project. This is to ensure that the local government will invest in the village and its conditions in the long run. After discussions with the ward Chairperson, who was very positive about the project, the local government states that in the fiscal year the following budget has been allocated for the benefit of the families in Pathari:
– Installation of electricity grid
– Improvements of gravel road
– Clean water supply and taps + rings for soak pits
– Support for CGI sheets for roofing (NRS 50,000 per family)
Build up Nepal supports rural communities and entrepreneurs to build earthquake resistant at low cost. We specialize in the innovative Interlocking Brick (CSEB) technology, enabling rural communities to produce bricks using local materials. We support rural entrepreneurs to start micro-construction companies building earthquake resistant houses in their own village.
As in many cases it is the women who take responsibility for the construction as the men are often in another place to work, this model also contributes to increased equality. The model also creates opportunities for local entrepreneurs, in many cases women, who start their own companies based on the experience they gain through the construction of their house.
Benefits of CSEB (Compressed Stabilized Earth Bricks) compared to the more common fired earth bricks are:
February 2022: In phase one, the first 8 houses are almost ready and the remaining 7 houses are being built. We need help from all of you to be able to continue the work so that the remaining 21 families in the village, of 36 families in total, will have the opportunity to build their own houses. See pictures of how the project is progressing, above.
If you wish to help rising money to this project, please make a donation here. Make a note that you want your money to go to building the houses in Pathar village, and we will make sure that the money will go directly to the cause.
Thank you soo much for helping . Every penny counts and soon the families will be able to have their own house that they have built themself.
The village of Pathari is situated just a few meters above the nearby river. This has created major problems regarding the possibility of building shared toilets for the inhabitants of the village. The toilets are filled quickly as the ground is so shallow and there is a risk that the toilets will be flooded during the monsoon period After many discussions, we have comte to the conclusion that the best solution is for each family to build their own toilet adjacent to their own house.
The benefits of this solution are:
The design of the toilet:
The estimated cost of building a toilet is €500. It will cover the cost of foreign materials as toilet pan, cement, cement rings etc. The families needs to manufacture Earth Bricks themselves (see description above), procure local materials (sand, gravel) and build the toilet under the training and supervision of Build up Nepal.
Donate here!
Do Good Now Global has since 2010 worked closely with the non-profit organisation ABC Nepal The organization runs several homes in Nepal, focusing on girls who have been exposed to, or are at risk of ending up in, sex trafficking.
The girls rescued from brothels or other slave-like conditions are offered housing, education, medical care and trauma treatment.
We also contribute to their preventively work doing school orientations and “Street dramas” to inform people and increase the awareness in the society regarding problems with human trafficking in the country.
Furthermore, we contribute funds to make it possible for ABC Nepal to have two people employed at the unattended part of the border to India. A common place through where girls are beeing trafficked.
If you would like to donate money to these girls, please do it here. Make a note that you want the money to go to the girls at ABC Nepal, and we will make sure that the money will go directly to the cause.
Now the construction of school and toilets is completed. We are so happy that we have had the opportunity to participate in this work and to be able to contribute to a more equal education for girls and boys by enabling the girls to go to school even when they have their period. See how nice the toilets became, below, and even more pictures of school and toilets in the slideshow above.
Do Good Now Global is very happy to tell you about our newest project, a collaboration with Build up Nepal, the NGO Tuki Nepal and the travel company Pathfinders Travels.
In 2015 Nepal was hit by a major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale.
800 000 houses and schools wre destroyed in poor rural villages. Thousands of students still study in unsafe, damaged buildings and temporary schools.
Rampur, a rural village in south -west Nepal was hit hard by the earthquake. Its school has 65 students from pre-school to 5th grade. The children have been studying in unsafe buildings with terrible conditions for over four and a half years now.
Build up Nepal, Tuki Nepal and Pathfinders Travels are now working to construct at new school with three classromms.
Due to Covid-19 and bad roads, the costs have increased. The building is already in construction, but the budget does not cover the costs of toilets. This is where we come in, Do Good Now Global will sponsor the construction of toilets and handwashing facilities.
Do Good Now´s cause is to end human trafficking, so why do we feel it is inportant to build toilets?
Around the world and especially in rural parts of Nepal, girls cannot go to school during their periods. Far too many girls miss out on school only because of a lack of safe and clean toilets. Building these will increase attendance rates, and by education, women have a greater chance of making a living through real jobs. Therefore, they will be less vulnerable to trafficking for sexual exploitation or forced labour.
