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The Everest Build In Nepal Draws To A Close ! (Oct 3-8)
We are happy to announce the successful completion of the Everest Build in Pokhara, Nepal where, between October 3rd and 8th, 40 new bamboo houses were constructed. This build program was undertaken by representatives of eight countries, including Japan, New Zealand, Australia and the USA. 460 international participants worked alongside 200 local volunteers to make this event a resounding success. Habitat Japan sent 12 people from Japan to join the effort, completing two houses between them. ≫See here for more details on the efforts of the Japanese team
The actual build site, Lekhnath, is located around 20km east of the centre of Pokhara; ranging across an entire mountain, it takes around one hour to walk from the start to finish of the new houses. Unlike past program like the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project (JRCWP09) or the Blue Sky Build in Mongolia where everyone worked together centrally, participants were split into teams and assigned their own house(s) to work on. What's more, rather than simply using the established national groups, all nationalities were mixed to form truly international work parties. The 12 Japanese volunteers were split across two teams, working alongside participants from New Zealand.
【Above】After splitting the bamboo, the strips are attached to the framework to form the walls
【Below】Cement is applied to the bamboo walls and, after they have dried, they are painted
The first three days of work were mainly spent in thinly cutting the bamboo; this was then bound together to form the framework of the house. On day four and day five we were then able to apply cement to the frames to form earthen walls. Finally, once the walls were dry they were painted to complete the house. (see movies here)
On the final day, we were joined by Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav for the closing ceremony, where we celebrated the completion of the project and future work with Habitat for Humanity by dedicating the houses and cutting the tape of each one. Although they were naturally nervous at meeting the President for the first time, each of the new homeowner families was able to share their gratitude and many tears of happiness were shed. Several international media organizations were represented, with the success of the Everest Build being communicated to many different countries.
After 1996 the lives of the Nepalese people deteriorated as a result of the worsening civil war. Within a population of 10,000,000, 45% currently live in poverty, with many people living in cramped, straw-walled houses built on frames of rotting wood with basic thatched roofs. The Everest Build was an opportunity to celebrate the work of Habitat Nepal, who have helped 5,000 families since 1997, and to make a renewed commitment to the future by setting a goal of a further 5,000 successes by 2012.
◆Related pages
・ '[Everest Build] Japan Hope Builders Completed Two Bamboo Houses ! '
・ 'Change Hearts. Join Hands. Build Homes with Habitat for Humanity in Nepal'
・ Pictures of the build week Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3 / Day 4 / Day 5 / Day 6
・ Movies of the build week (edited by Kiwi volunteers)
・ Short movie 'One-munite Bamboo House'
・ Short movie 'Everest Build Introduction'
・ Program Outline & Schedule
