Stichting Veldwerk at Nepal

Secretariaat: Stichting Veldwerk Postbus 163 1850 AD Heiloo The Netherlands

Tel:+31 (0)72-5339585 veldwerk@gmail.com IBAN nr. NL51ABNA0543703266 Attn. Stichting Veldwerk, p/a Egmond binnen Bank: ABN-Amro 543703266

We've got so far.

Nepal, April 2008.

The first construction team for the Dhading Daycare-Health project has done its bit by helping constructing one of the centers.
The Dhading project contains a number of different programs, such as the realization of the Improved Cooking Stoves, sanitation and reforestation and the construction of 6 Daycare-Health centers. These centers are necessary because the people in the rural areas have as good as no access to healthcare.
The consequences of lack of medical access results in a relative high percentage of women that die during delivery is high. The results of a recent national research showed that, per day, 6 women do not survive the tough job of delivering a baby. That means that every 4 hours a woman, in delivery, dies because of lack of help, awareness and dirty circumstances etc.
Besides the women, there are also 60 babies that die every day during, or just after the delivery. Of the children that survive, there are quite a high number of disabled children because of lack of awareness, complications and ignorance. In short, an emergency situation, that needs action. By construction 6 new Daycare-Health centers, Stichting Veldwerk brings now basic healthcare within one hour walking for around 15.000 people.

But the Daycare-Health centers still have to be constructed and because of that the first stone was laid in February.

So, now the construction really started. The kick-off is given by 12 staff members of Schretlen&Co from Amsterdam. They arrived on the 5^th of April 2008, accompanied by Sasja Maas (an ex-volunteer of Stichting Veldwerk) to “literally” lend a helping hand and help the local community to build this multi-functional center. For this opportunity, Stichting Gered Gereedschap from Heiloo-Amsterdam had granted hand-held equipment that the “Schretlen&Co team” brought to Nepal. Our special thanks to the help of Gered Gereedschap, Heiloo-Amsterdam.

The journey to this beautiful hill area was quite an experience for the construction team. Especially because just in a curve on a small hill road, we met a big TATA-bus full of Maoist supporters. The 2 Jeeps had to move out of each others way, through driving backwards on a small road next to a ravine until there was enough space to pass the bus full of yelling Maoists. Our construction team got off the Jeep for a while (while driving backwards); you never know what is going to happen!

After arrival in the concerning village, our construction team got a warm welcome ceremony with flower necklace, red tika's and typical Nepali music of the local community. By lack of time, that afternoon already, they had to work. That seemed to be a little bit hard with all the itching decoration around their necks. Beams were sawed out of trunks, the first door posts were smoothed and placed in the right spot and the first stones were laid. This all happened in the traditional way with local clay, 2 rows thick and 50 centimeter wide for strength. With in the background the always beautiful Himalaya ranges with Mount Manaslu, 8.123 meters high as decoration.

The Jeep that was standby for us had to go twice down to bring unexpected patients out of the village to the hospital. One man had a big, but old, wound on his leg with worms crawling out of it but he couldn't reach the hospital on his own. The day after, one girl broke her wrist while working on the farm and she also was taken to the hospital by our Jeep (what otherwise was a 6 hours walk). The needy request for a Jeep-ambulance was hereby confirmed. Stichting Veldwerk is going to make an effort for this.

In the meanwhile, in the days after, the people worked in a nice way together with the local community. They taught each other words and for the rest they communicated with hands and feet. Literally, because the clay was “kicked” to the best substance with the feet. When the clay was ready, it was brought to the wall in the fireman-way (hand to hand). After the clay was on the right spot they carried a stone up to finish it of.

The third day was a bit of a lazy day. It was the 10^th of April 2008. The local constructors all left to bring out their vote for the national election, which, as seems now, is largely won by the Maoists. So, it was quiet on the working spot, besides that it was around 30-35 degrees (in other words; hot), so they all “took it easy” that day. In the afternoon they visit the village, danced with the local community on the rhythm of the Madal and the singing of “Resham firiiieeee, Resham firiiiee” and more of those nice songs.

The Friday after the elections was already the last working day for the Schretlen&Co constructors; ending the day with thanks to each other, flower necklaces, red spots on the forehead and the wish to see each other again in the future. The benefit on both sides; gained a lot of experiences, the wall of the new center on chest-height, all window frames prominent straight and most of all; enthusiasm to do more and coming back!
Thanks to Schretlen&Co for their financial adoption of this Daycare-Health center and the 12 constructors for their fantastic kind help. They literally lend a helping hand under tropical temperatures and circumstances. I hope I can send them a photo of the whole building soon.

Rene Veldt, Katmandu
Stichting Veldwerk-Nepal, Action speaks louder than words!
And if you want to support this project or another project of Stichting Veldwerk, it is possible through a direct bank account:
Giro nummer : 8289522 of
Bank: ABN-Amro 543703266
For the attention of Stichting Veldwerk,
p/a Egmond Binnen.
IBAN nr.; NL51ABNA0543703266
Bic code; abnanl2a