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Blenheim South Rotary, their family and friends along with a District 9970 Grant undertook a project for the poor communities in Nepal short on a sustainable means to cook meals.
Paul and Frances Eden of Blenheim South Rotary have had a strong personal and business connection with Nepal since 1983. So, it was a natural consequence that following a talk to the club in 2014 by Graeme Foulds, who had a RF Matching Grant to supply school equipment, clothing etc to schools in the Solu Khumbu area of Nepal, that Paul and Frances joined with that project and spent 5 weeks on that project.
Following the catastrophic 2015 Nepal earthquake, they contacted Dhana Rai, school teacher and social worker to ascertain what assistance that area of the Solu Khumbu needed. This resulted in Blenheim South Rotary and friends suppling new roofing materials for damaged houses in the lower Solu Khumbu communities of Jubing and Khari Khola in 2016.
This support continued into 2017 when additional roofing iron was supplied to complete a community house for the Beeker community in the Jubing and Kharikhola area of the Solu Khumbu.
Since 2014 Paul and Frances have been to Nepal on four occasions to monitor and see the outcomes of these Rotary projects and the latest trip identified a community need that the club could help with being the funding and installation of 53 ergonomic fireplaces.
Blenheim South Rotary, their family and friends along with a District 9970 Grant has made this project possible for the poor communities short on a sustainable means to cook meals.
The project has been an outstanding success as it has not only improved the quality of life and health for many very poor families in this part of Nepal but also significantly reduced the amount of wood burned to create the same thermal output. Rotary is always looking for sustainable projects that also open additional benefits and in this case the project also created income and employment for the locals.
Their long association with the area enabled Paul and Frances to identify Dhana Rai, a local school teacher from Jubing, a capable of managing and coordinating the project including managing the brick production and fireplace installations but importantly, to identify the neediest within his community to receive these fireplaces.
They have installed 53 fireplaces around the community so far, with most of the families receiving these coming from the Beeker caste (pictured) who are the poorest in this area. The brick production and fireplace installation were done by Moden. Moden was trained in Pokhara, western Nepal in ceramics and brick manufacture that uses a brew of clay, salt, sugar, goats’ hair that is then baked for 14 day).
From the picture above you will see an installed fireplace which comprises firebox, two cooking stations, chimney and flue. The top and bottom of the chimney comes away for cleaning and all the smoke is flued outside. To say this is a vast improvement on the open fire in the middle of the floor as in the past is an understatement! No more breathing smoke, less wastage in fuel and improvements in the quality of the cooked meals.
Paul and Frances received on behalf of the contributors the thanks of the community, something they found to be a humbling experience. “We were hosted at Dhanas home and treated like Royalty. He is one of the most friendly and considerate people I have ever met.” said Paul.