Work in progress

This is just a short update,

We have started to build the intake tank - with a small re-design from Andy and Frank, the foundations for Ferrocement (mixture of Portland cement and sand reinforced with layers of woven steel mesh) which will hold 5K cubic meters have been done.

We have to order 175 bags of cement and other equipment, - Frank and Andy have just carried 35 kg of a metal wire needed for tomorrow's work.

They have been great, here in the village they have a nickname "coffee brothers".

They have a real can do attitude and an ability to think on their own feet, and are copping with the dhal bhaat diet better than many! ( I've had a dodgy belly recently!!!) They have brought a huge amount of energy bars with them ...guess this is their trick!

Sleeping conditions are tough but they are still able to crack a joke and even when I offered them to stay in Bandipur to have a more comfortable stay, they replied - "we want to see the work in the water source and then we're going HOME!"

We walked from Bandipur to Korika and met up late with the working team near Thumka and with Kiran from Choice.

Today we are looking for tools and their donated money will go towards their idea of building a working station and teaching the youth club, or anyone who wants to know how to work with all the tools we have brought, and bought.

I also have to mention that the Choice team, Kiran Neaupan and Ana Prasad have also been a great gift for this village. They also found the sleeping conditions difficult, but their ability to communicate and share ideas has been invaluable for the project.

Ana prasad is supervising the work in the intake as I'm typing!!! Kiran just left for Kathmandu but was able to hold a discussion about future progress of this village. He mentioned the importance of saving, creating a village cooperative and again how education is important for any development.

I guess I'm just the most frustrated as I don't have enough Nepali vocabulary, staying between the cauliflower fields and spending days in shops with tubes and wires with little understanding of quality - but I'm learning.

The positive thing is that we are still working and all are still committed to finish now within a 1 month. There is still much work ahead of us but the work done by the villagers is almost unbelievable. If you see the terrain and the distance!!

I just hope we can all keep up with this rhythm!

Will keep you updated. But so far this cooperation between Choice Nepal, us (The Project) and the Coffee brothers is working so well!!!

Jolana (in the field 'literally')

German water engineers have arrived!

‎2 guys Jolana met last year, Frank and Andreas (Röbbeck Röcks) have kept their promise. They've made the long trip to Aandhimul from Germany, both trained as water engineers, they've raised over 1000 euros and are using their skills to help the water project. Here are a few pics of them and the villagers getting their hands dirty!

Something to shout about

If there is time when you just want to give up and run home - than that day was felt in Naryangot.

But today I don't want to write how I managed to get all the stuff on track, and how almost in Muglin we lost the 50K NRP GI Pipes! Or about how I struggled to understand anything, and in the end at 7pm we got all the track, the goods and we fitted it in place for the journey back North, which only in Nepal you can do! It worked out, and to add to that, how 3 people at 9:30 pm were unloading all the stuff in Aandhi Khola in the rain.

Today, I also want to tell you that in the last 2 days all the villagers came and carried the heavy load in the rain and on the slippy paths. I offered them tea and roti yesterday morning for all their hard work.

Today they all came again, carrying the remaining coils and the 30 bags of 50kg cement, one person per bag. And how difficult that is, going uphill too!

I'm only providing money for khaja (lunch) to them, and this morning their own comitee paid for tea and roti. They did not ask me!!!

They had to stop digging for 2 days to carry the very heavy goods - I have no pictures, but if you can imagine a full track over loaded! You should see how happy they were to see all that material thrown in Aandhi Khola. Most locals can not believe that we can do this! But we can!!!

They will start again tomorrow and the other village is helping- Korika, over 50 people are now able to dig 250 metres per day and they are already close to Thumka village!

The other part of the village is not participating but are discussing about coming to help for 1 day, so we might have more people to dig.

I have no idea what brought this change, but I'm so happy, and this is what we need to show all who have supported these people. The money that everyone gave us is being spent well, the people are united in their work! amazing! amazing! AMAZING!!!

Love Joli xxx