All of us were heartbroken over the recent earthquakes in Nepal. The big question now is what can I do to help in the most effective way? The following proposal is the rough draft of a Go Fund Me proposal to cover my expenses in Nepal for about two months starting in September. If you’re an NGO in Nepal who’s interested in setting up an earthbag training center, please contact me by email.
This proposal outlines a plan to meet the overwhelming interest in earthbag building in Nepal. I’m looking for 4-6 training sites near Kathmandu where I can train builders in earthbag building starting in September, 2015. Twenty builders at a time could be trained during the two day workshops. Ideally we’d have a covered outdoor work area and a quiet place to show videos and give white board presentations. A translator with building knowledge would be needed. The NGO would need to feed and house the workshop participants overnight and bus them to and from the villages, as well as obtain the necessary tools and supplies. I plan to teach 7-10 days at each training site. Each training site must have decent Internet so I can maintain contact with other groups and the outside world. With this plan, 60 builders could be trained per week or 240 per month. This seems like the most effective way to spread earthbag building in Nepal.
Hello Owen and Rina,
I am presently working with the locals to arrange for this same project hoping to get started as soon as possible. We are looking for available trainers to begin now. Rina, I would love to be in touch with you as we look to build the work force and assess the funding situation. The government will provide some funds to assist in rebuilding and considering the lowcost of this type of construction, it is likely that the financial aspect should not be a hinderance to us getting started right away. I think the most important thing is to find experienced trainers as I am putting together a detailed proposal to access government assistance as soon as possible. With regard to a group effort starting right away, I was directed by Kelly Hart (with your company, Owen) to try meetup.com and facebook. I have also started a gofundme but again, the majority of funding will come straight from the government. If you know of any other efforts already in the works, I would love to know if I am able to have their contact information. I will be on facebook and meetup to gather those interested and ensure that we are all looking at the same source for the best communication. I am contacting distributors of materials and working with a Nepalese family who knows much about the hasslefree way to approach this considering permittance etc.
My facebook is facebook.com/mariah.rieb. Let’s get connected in every way possible and get this big ball rolling!
Best,
Mariah Day Rieb
mdayrieb@gmail.com
That’s great! We are not a NGO just small group of people. We’ll support the Center financially and participate in the workshops. Let’s share the expenses!
Email me the details please. I’m looking for training sites that are within 20 or so kilometers of Kathmandu — places where the roads, Internet, etc. are still functioning.