Au Népal, un Village, une Amitié en marche (ANUVAM) Rapcha Basa » New humanitarian initiatives following the AGM

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In the village of Rapcha, the association ANUVAM continues to show its solidarity and support for reconstruction, with perseverance and efficiency.

Excellent turnout at the General Meeting, a healthy financial position enabling us to commit to new projects, and a positive 2017/2018 business report all reflect the energy that drives our association. We reached a major milestone in March 2018, providing funding for a sixth house for a disadvantaged family in the village, rebuilt using earthquake-resistant, local materials developed by our technical partner CAPA.

This excellent outcome bolsters our credibility within the community and amongst recently-elected local leaders. The GM reviewed the requests for assistance submitted by the new mayor Asherman Magar, well known to the association, who informed us of the community’s priorities, in order to consolidate development and reduce serious internal inequalities.

The next milestone is scheduled for Autumn 2018, with the English and Nepali publication of a methodology handbook, including a diagram of the earthquake-resistant building techniques developed by CAPA. This will support the training provided to Nepalese builders, who will acquire new skills and further their experience. This contribution to technical expertise in the building sector represents a significant contribution by our association to the local economy.

Our discussions at the GM gave rise to four commitments for 2018/19:

continued medicine funding for the dispensary, which is regularly active with the presence of two nursing aides,
financial support for education by paying for the yearly salary of the science teacher at Basakhali secondary school,
commitment to the completion of the water supply works in the two hamlets, following a survey (with an estimate) by technicians already involved in this project; this year, the association has set aside €10,000 in provisions for this project,
The launch of construction for three houses, according to the earthquake-resistant process in response to the survey carried out by the local community, highlighting a serious housing problem affecting several disadvantaged families (widows, disabled villagers, seniors without resources and without the ability to build the houses themselves).
Due to a lack of salvage materials, given that these families live in bamboo shelters or huts, the first step in 2018 is to finance the purchase of wood, which must be dried for several months, and stones. The association provides €2,000 per house for the cutting and storage of wood and stones. Next, the construction of houses for €4,000 each will be scheduled for early 2019.
In 2018/19 the association will commit €18,000 to the construction of three houses, thus consolidating the experience acquired by building technicians and making the most of training, thanks to the methodology handbook.

Finally, the association has revised its by-laws and has created a charter to define trusted relationships with its partners.