Special report from Edge of Seven:
Our work with Earthbag building in Nepal now covers the expanse of nine years. We have completed four dormitory buildings for girls getting an education in the Solukhumbu region of Nepal for both their college and university education. We’ve also built 6 classrooms using the method and all buildings have been successful in a variety of ways.
One, the earthquake resilience was sufficient to withstand the twin earthquakes of 2015 where not only were the buildings still standing after the quakes of April and May, but they were not damaged as many of their standard construction buildings were. Our tour of the area and the community’s sites after the earthquake showed significant damage to other buildings while the earthbag buildings were essentially untouched. Perhaps even more importantly the community leaders relayed to us that these buildings were critical as places where people took shelter after their own homes were destroyed. They told us, “these were the only buildings where we truly felt safe after the earthquake.” And in rural Nepal, many days walk back to a road, much less a town of any type, the feeling of safety and knowledge that there was somewhere safe to go, is the highest order of recommendation and accolade that we could receive.
Peter Mason, Executive Director, Edge of Seven
It’s great to get these updates from NGOs. They’re doing such amazing work in very harsh conditions where there are few options available. Sometimes they have to backpack in all building supplies over steep mountain trails for two or more days. Many times the trees in the area have been cut down or are on private land and not affordable. Traditional stone and mud buildings collapse in quakes. Earthbag building continues to build in popularity.