Stichting Veldwerk
Postbus 163
1850 AD Heiloo
The Netherlands
veldwerk@gmail.com
IBAN nr. NL51ABNA0543703266
Attn. Stichting Veldwerk,
p/a Egmond Binnen
Bank: ABN-Amro 543703266
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Secretariat: Stichting Veldwerk Postbus 163 1850 AD Heiloo The Netherlands |
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Tel:+31 (0)72-5339585 veldwerk@gmail.com IBAN nr. NL51ABNA0543703266 Attn. Stichting Veldwerk, p/a Egmond Binnen Bank: ABN-Amro 543703266 |
Hello all, here we are!
So as said, they did!
Hahaha, no way, April Fools Day joke!!!
Lots of greetings, from hot and stormy Kathmandu and see you in May.
Sichting Veldwerk-Nepal
The first of April our new school should have been finished, but it came out to be a good joke. It will probably take a lot longer. Due to lack of electricity in the city, a delay came up in the welding and construction work of the roof.
But finely the welding was finished now and the roof plates were constructed.
On the front of the building we created roof vaults, so the path to the balcony and to several doorways is wide enough. It also looks very pretty.
At the moment we have corrugated iron on the roof; it will form the base for the Bakthapur roof tiles. So from the outside you will not see it anymore.
In the meanwhile the plumber is busy putting in the sewer system and the (clean) drinking water system. This water will almost surely come from the jungle above us, there is a well over there. Thijs and Bart followed the plumber up till where the well originates. This is not easy to see in a dense forest, so I asked them to make a fire, so I could see the smoke and would also know where the well was situated.
And….after that the whole forest on fire!
Because of the well, they could put out the fire, so all the trees are luckily still there!
But from a distance we know now where the water is coming from, 24 hours a day, clean and clear well water. We still have to ask permission to use it, because over here those kinds of things do not come easy. But for sure it will be fine at the end.
Downstairs things are going really well, the whiteboards are constructed and the walls are being plastered. The kitchen is also getting in to the right proportions.
In the meanwhile our children are happily working in the fields, their exams are done and school Holliday has started. Under supervision of Rimke and Yolanda and our super Aunty, they are planting the seeds of sunflowers, corn, carrots, pumpkins, etc. Look here for the rest of the story.
In the meanwhile it is the 21st of April, time flies. The radish, carrots, beans and corn are doing their job and they grow pretty fast. Sunflowers are blossoming like crazy and the children are very happy with the results.
Construction work is still on the go, it has to be because we are running a month behind schedule, all the power cuts are giving us a hard time.
Bart and Thijs are running the hydropower project. Bert Huibers (Bertronic´s) from Amsterdam was visiting us and he's going to help us install the hydropower installation. He's also going to teach us how to use the available energy as economical as possible.
Bart and Thijs are having the daily routine of measuring the available water, how much litre per second. One pipeline was not enough, so we had to put in another pipeline. What we know until so far, is that the river is giving 13 litres of water per second in the dry season.
Bart was measuring the height of the decline; at the moment it seems to be about six meters. The combination of 13 litres per seconde with a fall of 6 meters will give us a 1400 Watt Electra depot in the dry season. That's a great result, certainly because the LCD lights you can buy nowadays only use 3 watt and give 60 Watt. No more power cuts and load shedding for our children home. At the moment we are discussing the costs of the hydropower installation with a supplier. To be continued
The corrugated iron plates are on the roof and everything is water prove which is really great just before the monsoon starts. Rain and hail has already welcomed us. So the pre-monsoon has started. The mason is building the roof, the electrician is putting the Electra in, together with our Radhika and the walls are plastered immediately after every finished part of Electra. In the staircase work is being done on the railing which is being welded directly to the metal in the concrete. Clever idea!
In the meanwhile the first load of roof tiles from Bakthapur has arrived and a part of the roof tiles are already laid out around the school roof. You can get an idea now of how it is all going to look like when it is finished (very very pretty of course!!!! haha
The water reservoir (“watch tower”) at the top of the toilet building looks really awful. That ugly iron thing, is giving the beautiful building a horrible look, luckily it is only temporary.
As soon as we get the water from the woods and a big reservoir tank on the hillside, there will be enough pressure, to take off the water reservoir from the top of the toilets.
But for now, we have to deal with it. The balcony, the fence, actually the whole building is getting in to her final shape. And is really becoming something, don't you think so?
In the meantime the tile-layer has started and the doors and windows are all in place.
The plumber constructed a 1000 litre water tank on top of the “watch tower” (All we need now is a little guy parading on top and keeping watch). In some places you can still sea ugly concrete beams. They still have to be covered with plaster, nice and smooth with a stone pattern in it. After that we paint it red/brown and no one will see that it is concrete. Fantastic!
Outside they are digging the septic tank and then maybe within two weeks the school can be ready for use. That would we wonderful, wouldn't it?
Rene Veldt.
