Off to my volunteering project site
New friends (Denisse, Josefina, Erwan, Loise) I met who were heading to the same project
4hrs bumpy bus ride. By the way, the goat just got off the roof top
Us on the roof top
At base where we hang out everyday... here at base we get to sleep on bunk beds
Another base up in the village... here you get to sleep in tents
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View around the work place
On a clear (rare) day, we'll get views of the mountains
We hang out with the locals
Iman and I with the bride
We play with children
We play with puppies
PLAY with puppy
We
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They have been living in shed made of CGI sheets or wood
Condition of their home
One of the beneficiary's profile
Nothing beats a happy smile on them
Meet Salina, one of our beneficiaries and watch her story below. It was especially hard when I was told the site I was rubbling was where she lost her sons
How they cook
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They cook and fed us everyday
Dhal bhat lunch power
Common sight after lunch... we take a power nap
Being creative in napping style
When you gotta rest, you gotta rest
I must say... its very comfortable to
They made us tea in the morning and afternoon
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On days off (once a week), we check out the surrounding
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Ok getting down to serious business... we actually do work very hard everyday
Daily meetings about progress and work for the next day
In the morning... I started waking at 6am in the morning and when we had to start work even earlier, I ended up waking at 5.15am
Gathering tools for work
Getting into respective trucks
And off we go
Caterina, Channy and Jenny... miss them much
Sometimes its sardine packed at the back
Road to work site
There is a limit to where the truck could get us so most of the time we had to walk with our tools
After a hard and hot day of work
A rubble site
We had to clear all these
Rubbling
Rubbling... even if it means moving rock by rock
This site was cleared and levelled after 5 days of rubbing
Another view from the same site above
Progress after the site above
Sherpa days... sites are hard to reach by vehicle so everyday the sherpa team had to carry and drop materials (50kg cement bags, sand, gravel, concrete blocks, steel structure, CGI sheets) at designated areas
Sherpa-ing... baskets of sand/gravel
Foundation being marked
Foundation being dugged
Huge rock in the way... unable to remove it, we decided to shave the ends off bit by bit.... it took forever as we don't have he right tools
Digging foundation holes
I just dugged a perfect square
Foundation ready for the structure team
Structure ready for the wall and roof team to proceed
Tying the mesh - these mesh prevent the external walls from falling into the house when theres a earthquake
Wire cutting
Getting all the wires ready for tying the mesh round the structures
Roof team getting ready to start
Completed shelter for them
Getting rid of a massive rock where the septic tank needs to sit
Toilet building in progress
Toilet almost complete
Another rubbling day... we need to bring it down to door level. It was here where 5 children lost their lives during the earthquake... 2 of which are Salina's sons
Ta-dah... flat and levelled after 2 days
Our happy beneficiaries... I can't explain how it felt to see the smiles on their face... to have a new home and now a 'porch'
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When we were out in town
The much needed fruits and veggies
Best veggie burgers in town
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When we get together to cook on our days off
Handmade pizza
Handmade Gnocchi
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And many friends made
With Yevgeni from Russia... loves how he speak it sounds like russian mafia...
He will be travelling on his motorbike next year around Russia if anyone wants to join him...
Whatsup!
Nights when we sit around to sing - nevermind with the blackout
On the odd days everyone will gather together doing the same job... Its Sherpa day today... everyone will Sherpa including the staff members and move materials to wherever its needed. We moved so much on this day!
The rubbling girls with the same hair do :)
Our last rubbling day with rubbling dream team!
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Days where we go to Kathmandu... being thrown around at the back of the bus
On the way to Thamel squashed behind a truck
Jon, Kelly and Chantal - Pre holi celebration... still very clean
Unrecognisable me post holi celebration
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Almost completed
Fully completed and beneficiaries have movd in
Handover ceremony of completed houses
Fruits given during the handover
About to be given tikka blessing by the beneficiaries for completing their houses
Cam-whoring
With my rubbling bitches, Olivia, Kim and Chantal
More handovers
With the families of the 5 houses handed over
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Just a little statistic for our project
Final handover ceremony and big party with beneficiaries in the village
Hungry
The last big meal that our beneficiaries cooked for us
Our Associate Project Director being blessed with lotsa tikka powder
2 of our drivers who drove us to and fro base daily without fail... Krishna and Gyanu
With my favourite forever 18 girls... love them loads
All of us with the beneficiaries on our last hand over party in the village
Goodbye selfie
Final Goodbyes and off to Kathmandu for good after 2 months of volunteering here. Was supposed to stay for just a month but decided to stay till the end to watch the project finished.
We've smashed it, earlier than expected! Thanks All Hands for the wonderful experiences!
We've smashed it, earlier than expected! Thanks All Hands for the wonderful experiences!
I wasn't obliged to raise any funds but after being here as a volunteer I felt I could do more for the people. I've seen for myself how the earthquake had affected them. Some are not mentally sound and some resort to drinking to pass time. Few days after I arrived, there was a 5.5mag tremor while I was sleeping and subsequently many tremors occurred that I've lost count. Remembered once it was in the day while at work and I heard everyone screaming...even though it was a short tremor, they screamed and fled out of their houses immediately.
While my site is now complete, All Hands projects are still in progress at other earthquake affected areas. My fund raising page is still live until my birthday in July so any donation amounts are still welcome! Please find my fund raising page here
While my site is now complete, All Hands projects are still in progress at other earthquake affected areas. My fund raising page is still live until my birthday in July so any donation amounts are still welcome! Please find my fund raising page here
https://give.hands.org/ridingcyclette
Volunteers come from far away countries, some from the other end of the globe to help but I haven't met many volunteers from South East Asia...we are near so its not hard to get to Nepal... if you have time consider becoming a volunteer and make a difference too. Cheerios!
*This post is not possible without the photo inputs of many friends... thanks to all that we have great record of memories to look back on. Thank you and can't wait for the reunion.
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