Category: Uncategorized

by Navjot Gill, WNC director

As the youngest member on the WNC Board of Directors, I had the unique opportunity to explore the historical roots of our community partnership in Ramechhap, Nepal during a short visit to the country in early January 2017.

This year, we are celebrating 28 years of partnership with Tamakoshi Sewa Samiti (TSS is our partner organization in Nepal). TSS was established in 1984 by the late Mr. Jagadish Ghimire and Mrs. Durga Ghimire. Throughout the years, I have had the pleasure of reflecting back on the early days of the organization through stories that were shared by individuals who have been part of the movement since the 1980s, such as Suresh Shrestha (current program coordinator) and Dr. Suman Karmacharya (current physician at TSS hospital). I remember sitting in the TSS courtyard and following the descriptive narrative of what the buildings and facilities looked like 10, 15, and 20 years ago. Often, I have had the honour of hearing about the Ghimire family, the family’s vision and commitment that inspired the creation of TSS and how their roots in social justice created a community-based foundation for everyone to build from.

This visit, I had the honour of meeting with Mrs. Durga Ghimire and her son, Himal Ghimire. It was truly a unique experience to learn about their journey with social justice, literature, and advocacy in regards to Ramechhap and also at the national level. Mrs. Ghimire is a renowned activist for women’s rights, safe migration and human trafficking. She founded Agroforestry, Basic health and Cooperative Nepal (ABC Nepal), which is an organization that is grounded in advocating for the rights of women and dismantling human trafficking practices. Further, the late Mr. Jagadish Ghimire is remembered by the nation for his great contributions to Nepal’s literature, his lifelong commitment to activism and grassroots planning, and his political contributions. On this occasion, we sat, reflecting back on TSS, sharing a meal together, and fostering a relationship that started 28 years ago by folks at World Neighbours Canada, some who we are still honoured to have on our Board, and others whom we miss dearly.

by Russell Work and Dale Dodge, posted by Judy Gray

It was a Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas for all concerned. The Oliver Rotary Club was pleased to be able to make a second donation to World Neighbours Canada in the amount of $4000 for their projects in Nepal. President Jennifer Roussel and International Director, Russell Work were on hand to present the cheque to Director, Dale Dodge.

As Dale Dodge, director with WNC stated: “The money is very welcome and will be put towards the Global Affairs Canada (GAC) Maternal-Child Health project presently under way in Nepal. WNC and their partner Tamakoshi Sewa Samiti (TSS) are working with villagers in Nepal to install 21 gravity fed water systems and 4200 sealed, hygienic toilets in the next 4 years. The project is now into its second year and, despite a huge earthquake in Nepal two years ago, things are moving along well.”

 

a short excerpt from, “Sustainable Community Development” written by Navjot Gill as a reflection of her 2016 field visits in Ramechhap, Nepal ]

I had the opportunity to accompany the TSS (Tamakoshi Sewa Samiti – our partner NGO in Nepal) team to the district of Hilidevi for an initial community-wide engagement visit. Here, TSS will support the construction of household toilets. This work will be funded by the Global Affairs Canada grant in Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. The community of Hilidevi faces many challenges in health care and development. First, it is extremely isolated. It is a 5-hour drive from Manthli and roads are often closed due to the weather. Second, the community lacks basic necessities. There is no access to electricity and most people have no access to water. Lastly, the village does not have accessible health care, though there is a health post in the district headquarters. With so many challenges, where does development even begin?

The community-wide meeting in Hilidevi gave individuals, families, and service providers an opportunity to discuss some of these challenges. In total, there were 8 TSS personnel and 55 community members, ranging from children, mothers, elders, teachers, health care workers, political leaders and female community health volunteers. TSS project coordinator and board member presented their invitation for collaboratively building household toilets in the district. This was followed by an invitation for community members to discuss their experiences of health care. Themes that circulated the room were access to healthcare services, lack of accessibility due to their geographical location, the need to include and provide for those who cannot afford to build their own toilets, and an agreement that ODF (open defecation free) was a priority for the community. This participatory process ensures community buy-in, allows dialogue and discussion, and further gives community members, like the health services providers, an opportunity to discuss the importance of topics like household toilets in relation to infectious disease.

 

Content and Photos provided by Suresh Shrestha, Tamakoshi Sewa Samiti        Compiled by Bruce Petch, World Neighbours Canada director

A gravity-fed water system was constructed in the village of Lahachhewar in the district of Ramechhap in Nepal, from March to June 2016. The work was done by the residents of the village (on their own time), with technical support and guidance from Tamakoshi Sewa Samiti (TSS, a Nepali NGO based in Ramechhap). Funding was provided by World Neighbours Canada, which was supported by Global Affairs Canada, Kamloops West Rotary, Aldergrove Rotary and Oliver Rotary.World Neighbours Canada also continues to receive donations in Rachel Denbigh’s name for work in Nepal.This was the first water system installed under a new four-year project supported by Global Affairs Canada.

The Lahachhewar Water System will service 30 households with a population of 206 people – 120 female, 86 male, 81 children under 12. The water system consists of an intake at the source (a spring on the hillside, a concrete and stone storage tank below the source, a buried PVC water line running down the slope to the village, and 6 public tap stands.

The construction of gravity fed water systems requires that reservoirs be built at some point between the water source being accessed, and the water stand pipes in the villages being serviced.

The reservoirs are typically 5 cubic metres in size, and will hold 5000 litres of water. The reservoirs are always built in a location such that a break would not cause a flooding of any nearby residences. In the 27 years, including 2015 when there was a major earthquake in Ramechhap and nearly 90% of the homes in the district were damaged, a TSS built water reservoir has never failed. Only minor damage was sustained to a few water systems in the 2015 earthquake.

Community Participation, Technical Guidance and Summary of Environmental Impacts

The Water User Committee, with help from the TSS technical people, plan all aspects of the water system. They decide the location of the intake, the route of the pipe, the size and location of the water reservoir, and the location of the tap stands in the village.

The water users – the villagers – do all of the physical work. They transport materials, they dig and backfill the ditch for the pipe, they help build the water reservoir, they help construct the tap stands. This is all done with guidance of the TSS technicians. 

The cement work is done by people trained by TSS over the years. These people may still live in their original village, but will travel to nearby locations to do the cement work and to train others to do similar work. The Government Engineer is notified when the work is done and will do a final inspection. 

At all stages of the project, environmental considerations are identified and assessed. The water source is always fenced off so that animals cannot access the source. Ditches are always filled in such that there is no evidence of ground disturbance. Reservoirs are always placed in areas such that if they were to fail, there would not be any damage to structures below them. Tap stands are always made of cement, with cement catchment areas below to prevent erosion of the immediate area.

The farthest tap stand from the water source is approximately 2 kilometres. It is estimated that the women using that tap stand will save 3-4 hours per day in carrying time. What an important change the completion of this water system must make in the lives of these women!