The Nepal Earthbag Project
Donation protected
Most of us have heard by now of the devastation caused by the recent earthquake in Nepal. Many people have lost their lives, villages have been toppled and even those buildings that are still standing are cracked and warped and no longer safe to enter.
The Nepalese people live with a great deal of humility and spirit and are beginning to rebuild their lives in a country that is testing to live in during the best of times. We would like to travel to Nepal this winter and help rebuild some lost homes using earth bag construction and earthquake proof engineering.
Destroyed home in the Kathmandu Valley. Photo courtesy of Gionzy Manley, Human Traction.
We are closely connected with two NGOs that have worked extensively in the Kathmandu valley for many years combined: Human Traction (www.humantraction.org) and VIN -Volunteers Initiative Nepal (www.volunteersinitiativenepal.org). We will begin fundraising to build some houses in villages supported by these NGOs, and depending on how much money we raise we will slowly start expanding to other villages in need, particularly outside of the Kathmandu Valley, where aid funds do not filter as quickly.
Toppled house in Dadaguan. Photo courtesy of VIN.
We do not simply want to go to the villages and build houses for the people; instead we will be making the experience educational in a workshop style and closely involving the community with the building of their own houses. We will teach them valuable techniques in natural building in a simple and educational way so that they may replicate the designs themselves. Our building will use locally sourced materials such as earth, earth bags, barbed wire, lime and bamboo that many regular families will be able to afford and access easily.
Here in Taos, New Mexico, we have spent the spring and summer researching and engineering an earthbag design that we will take with us to Nepal. Earthbag designs have proven to be extremely stable and are some of the buildings that are consistently still standing after the earthquake.
Earth bag domes are still standing after the earthquake, are cheap to build and the materials are easy to locate. Photo courtesy of Cal Earth.
Earth bag designs are notoriously simple & low cost to build and solidly stand up against earthquakes. Photo courtesy of terra-form.org.
Many people here in Taos have decades of experience with natural building and design and we network as much as possible to work on building a number of earthquake proof prototypes before going to Nepal.
We have already built one 6ft prototype in Taos this summer and in September, we will begin our second dome prototype to refine our design. You can stay checked in to this page or our facebook page and we will post photos and updates as our earthbag design evolves!!
Your donation will go directly towards buying materials for building an earthbag dome, for buying the necessary equipment to build the structure, and for 3 roundtrip plane tickets for our knowledgeable workers to fly from Albuquerque to Kathmandu. We will rely on the hard work of our villagers, your donations, as well as the generosity of many dedicated volunteers from all over the world to make this possible.
Here is a list of the material costs in local NPR, Nepali Rupees. This list approximates the costs necessary for materials and equipment purchase/rental to build a single earthbag dome (15ft x 15ft (5x5m) to be $1475. We will combine 2 single domes to create a house comprised of a kitchen/living area and a bedroom.. We aim to build a structure comprised of 2 domes in our time in Nepal.
Here is a list of the costs to initally buy tools once we arrive in Nepal. We will bring as many tools as possible with us from Taos so as to keep costs to a minimum.
FINAL COSTS AND FUNDRAISING AMOUNT:
We wish to remain as transparent as possible and assure you that all money donated will be used in Nepal for the Nepali people. Any changes in projected prices as a result of adjustment in design will be updated on this site and our facebook page.
Any donation large or small will be valued and make the world of difference to our Nepali families.
Thank you for your time!!! Check us out on facebook to follow our progress.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Nepal-Earthbag-Project/867567073289617
NAMASTE!!!!!
Orphans living in temporary shelter. Photo courtesy of Gionzy Manley, Human Traction.
The Nepalese people live with a great deal of humility and spirit and are beginning to rebuild their lives in a country that is testing to live in during the best of times. We would like to travel to Nepal this winter and help rebuild some lost homes using earth bag construction and earthquake proof engineering.
Destroyed home in the Kathmandu Valley. Photo courtesy of Gionzy Manley, Human Traction.We are closely connected with two NGOs that have worked extensively in the Kathmandu valley for many years combined: Human Traction (www.humantraction.org) and VIN -Volunteers Initiative Nepal (www.volunteersinitiativenepal.org). We will begin fundraising to build some houses in villages supported by these NGOs, and depending on how much money we raise we will slowly start expanding to other villages in need, particularly outside of the Kathmandu Valley, where aid funds do not filter as quickly.
Toppled house in Dadaguan. Photo courtesy of VIN.We do not simply want to go to the villages and build houses for the people; instead we will be making the experience educational in a workshop style and closely involving the community with the building of their own houses. We will teach them valuable techniques in natural building in a simple and educational way so that they may replicate the designs themselves. Our building will use locally sourced materials such as earth, earth bags, barbed wire, lime and bamboo that many regular families will be able to afford and access easily.
Here in Taos, New Mexico, we have spent the spring and summer researching and engineering an earthbag design that we will take with us to Nepal. Earthbag designs have proven to be extremely stable and are some of the buildings that are consistently still standing after the earthquake.
Earth bag domes are still standing after the earthquake, are cheap to build and the materials are easy to locate. Photo courtesy of Cal Earth. Earth bag designs are notoriously simple & low cost to build and solidly stand up against earthquakes. Photo courtesy of terra-form.org.Many people here in Taos have decades of experience with natural building and design and we network as much as possible to work on building a number of earthquake proof prototypes before going to Nepal.
We have already built one 6ft prototype in Taos this summer and in September, we will begin our second dome prototype to refine our design. You can stay checked in to this page or our facebook page and we will post photos and updates as our earthbag design evolves!!
Your donation will go directly towards buying materials for building an earthbag dome, for buying the necessary equipment to build the structure, and for 3 roundtrip plane tickets for our knowledgeable workers to fly from Albuquerque to Kathmandu. We will rely on the hard work of our villagers, your donations, as well as the generosity of many dedicated volunteers from all over the world to make this possible.
Here is a list of the material costs in local NPR, Nepali Rupees. This list approximates the costs necessary for materials and equipment purchase/rental to build a single earthbag dome (15ft x 15ft (5x5m) to be $1475. We will combine 2 single domes to create a house comprised of a kitchen/living area and a bedroom.. We aim to build a structure comprised of 2 domes in our time in Nepal.
Here is a list of the costs to initally buy tools once we arrive in Nepal. We will bring as many tools as possible with us from Taos so as to keep costs to a minimum.
FINAL COSTS AND FUNDRAISING AMOUNT:
We wish to remain as transparent as possible and assure you that all money donated will be used in Nepal for the Nepali people. Any changes in projected prices as a result of adjustment in design will be updated on this site and our facebook page.
Any donation large or small will be valued and make the world of difference to our Nepali families.
Thank you for your time!!! Check us out on facebook to follow our progress.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Nepal-Earthbag-Project/867567073289617
NAMASTE!!!!!
Orphans living in temporary shelter. Photo courtesy of Gionzy Manley, Human Traction.Organizer
Keti Ji
Organizer
Taos, NM