After two years of fund-raising and hands-on work, a group of south-west volunteers has seen first-hand how their efforts are improving the lives of villagers in Nepal.
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Members of the Nepal Open Heart Appeal have returned from visiting the town of Aapghari to attend the opening of the new community centre, which was built on the back of funding from the south-west.
The group trekked for nine days through 40-degree-plus temperatures to reach the village and member Sam Johnston said the welcome was well worth the effort.
“There were about 200 people there,” he said.
“It was a very memorable occasion for everyone.”
Fellow group member Amanda Nash said they were draped in flowers and covered in tikka.
“It was a celebration for the community and a chance for them to get together,” she said.
“Life’s tough anyway, so it was a focus to work towards and then it was a celebration to see what we had contributed towards and supported.”
The group, and the generosity of the south-west community, helped raise more than $60,000 to build the centre and return running water to the village, which was left devastated by the earthquake that rocked Nepal in 2015. Mr Johnston said conditions in Aapghari were still quite basic but the centre, which has been handed over to the local mothers’ group, was giving people a place to meet.
“It’s becoming the hub of the community,” he said.
“There is rebuilding happening, quite a lot of rebuilding. But in some areas, and in a lot of Aapghari, people are still living in tin shacks with mud floors. When you consider that is was 40 degrees when we were there, it’s pretty hard going.”
Ms Nash said the community centre served a lot of purposes. It has already hosted a training course and religious festivals, and the south-west group is hopeful it could become part of a trekking route into the village.
The group’s trek into the village was part of a push to re-invigorate tourism in the area.
“Since the earthquake they’re in a rebuilding phase and it’s a deterrent, people wouldn’t be going to Nepal to trek,” Ms Nash said.
Because of this, the group is hoping to add a shower and another toilet to the centre for trekkers to use.
“By making this diversion off the main trek it just gives people the chance to experience life and another focus and experience a typical rural village,” Mr Johnston said.
The fund-raisers are now looking for a further $10,000 to finish work at the community centre and complete a final water project.
“We still have some work to do there and we still have to raise some more funds. The community centre is fully functional and it’s being used for everything that we intended it to be used for,” he said.
“We do feel that we have to build another toilet there and a shower.
“We also have some work to do on the water supply system. Once again, the rising cost of building materials and labour has made it more expensive.”
Mr Johnston said the water project had been extended to incorporate six houses further up the hill who had a 1.5-hour walk each way to access water.
“What made us decide to do this was in the initial instance when the water supply was re-connected there was that many people there helping and we didn’t realise these people from further up the hill had also made a substantial contribution.
“It only came to light just before we went over there that these people up the hill didn’t have any water so we just have to extend that, which means purchasing another pump and some more pipe.”
Ms Nash said the hope was the centre and village would then become self-sustaining.
“There’s still some work to be done but it’s not a never-ending project. We’ve actually sat down and worked it out. The $10,000, if we get that, that’s the end and the community understand that as well. Whilst we’ll still be there to support in the future, it’s not necessarily on an economic basis,” she said.
Ms Nash said the south-west group had been overwhelmed by the kindness and resilience of the local villagers.
“Life is a challenge for them, without the earthquake of two years ago, they’re just so resilient, happy, and appreciative, there’s nothing negative, never a complaint,” she said.
“They just get on and do and they don’t expect anything.”
Donations can be made at www.chuffed.org/project/nepalopenheart or direct deposit to BSB: 033217, account: 216516.
