12/17/2018

As of today, the building is rising above ground. Gradually, winter is arriving in Bhorle, and though snowfall is rare, temperatures drop to approx. plus 10 centigrades at night. Considering how the huts of the people there are constructed, you can imagine what it means to live there in winter.

12/19/2018

12/21/2018

Here different schools of thought are clashing.

Madhav Regmi, our architect, the foreman and Ram have decided to cast the pillars first and to insert the brickwork afterwards. That’s how it is being done throughout the country in Nepal, and regrettably that’s also what is being taught in state operated courses.

As we already proceeded when building the school, we believe the brickwork should be completed first and the pillars cast second. This way the walls become much stiffer. We surely will still have to do much work to raise awareness in order to establish this method even against the Nepalese mainstream.

12/26/2018

Our building manager Ram, warmly wrapped up, is always close by.

12/31/2018

Now we soon will be able to tackle the roof. But first there will be a pause of one week on the building site. Another regional festivity has to be adequately celebrated. In this region most festivities take place in periods when there is less work for the farmers, i.e. during winter and the rainy season.

For Ram and Madhav this means returning to Kathmandu, ordering further material, and a bit of recuperation. The work in Bhorle Betang is leaving its traces.

01/07/2019

A big action is scheduled for today. The roof takes shape. A part of the village population lends a hand. Here manual labour still is in demand, and the people welcome a supplementary income.

And already our guys are in good mood again. It indeed is great luck that architect Madhav Regmi is comfortable in the mountains and with the people. A notable exception among Nepalese people with a university degree. The townsfolk often look down very depreciatorily on the rural population though almost 80% of them eventually originate from the mountains or the countryside.

01/12/2019

Now we come to the toilets and the support walls. The broken stones were made from the rocks which surfaced when the road was being built and the plot cleared. Here the other construction method is being applied now. First the walls are erected and then the support pillars are cast. It’s nice to see that views change during the process of building by exchange of opinions.

01/22/2019

The building is being plastered expertly.

And…

…unfortunately the bagger already has to be activated again. The use of this machine at such frequency was not in our plan. On the positive side we have to buy far fewer bricks and can use the material that is locally available.

01/27/2019

The snow line is no longer far away. All hope to be spared snow this year. The houses in Bhorle mostly consist of a single room only and cannot be heated. Only during cooking the wood stove gives a little warmth. Also the dress of most inhabitants is inadequate, firm footwear is alien to many. The new outpatient clinic will be heated by gas stoves, currently the only sensible possibility to heat the rooms of the clinic without participation in the drastic deforestation.

Today the materials for the electrical connection were delivered. Bhorle in this respect is in a fine position. For some years the village has been connected to an electric network. A hydropower station near Trisuli Bazar supplies electricity to people who can afford it.

02/03/2019

Today the electrical connection is being installed. Dizzying and certainly a horror for any construction site supervision in Germany. But the gods were benevolent and it worked out fine.

On the site, progress is being made, and it is very pleasing that in “our” toilet (rear left) there is a window to let in fresh air. This is not a matter of course in the current mode of building in Nepal.

In about 10 weeks the outpatient clinic is due to be opened. It looks like this could work out. Let’s keep fingers crossed for Ram and his team that the rate of progress can be kept up. Thanks to your support we then will be able to present you the completed clinic / welfare centre.

02/06/2019

To finish off this diary greetings from our first literacy course in Bhorle Betang. For it, the women and men can use the primary school which was built in 2016 with your donations.