Habitat Nepal with the Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal

Deputy Minister receiving the drawing from RD Manager, Ms. Amrita Sharma Suvedi

Habitat for Humanity International Nepal handed over 5000 meter length drawing on Housing to the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Physical Planning & Works Mr. Bijaya Kumar Gachhedar on 24 August 2009 at Ministry of Physical Planning and Works, Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal.

The Longest drawing, a vision campaign on Housing to create awareness on the hearts and minds of the people was completed with the participation of over 4000 students and 1000 other people. The completed length of the drawing was done on fabric, has used 1800 liters of paint and 1000 brushes. Since the drawing was all on housing it has created an impact about housing on more than 30,000 individuals The longest drawing attracted the attention of many.

Habitat Nepal celebrated 5000th house milestone and 5001st House Ground breaking ceremony. 5000th House dedication took place on 12th July 2009 in the district of Jhapa amidst more than 2500 people. On 13th July, 5001st ground breaking ceremony was held in the district of Kavre and the corner stone was laid by the Member Secretary of Social Welfare Council. To mark this event a vision campaign in the form of longest drawing was held on 11th & 12th July 2009 in Jhapa.

People drawing their visions

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HFHI-Nepal celebrates 5000th House Dedication and 5001st House Ground Breaking Ceremony

Habitat for Humanity International - Nepal has celebrated 5000th house milestone and 5001st House Ground breaking ceremony. This main event is followed by many other sub events.

Event main features:

5000th House dedication

5000th House dedication took place on 12th July 2009 in the district of Jhapa amidst more than 2500 people. The 5000th house was declared opened by UN Habitat (ERSO program) Representative, Dr. Christian Schlosser from Nairobi. The house consists of two rooms and a toilet, costs NRs. 92,201 (US$ 1200) and is made out of bamboo and plastered with cement. The house will ultimately have a sitting room and a kitchen added.

5000th house dedication - opening speech by Dr. Christian Schlosser

Longest drawing on housing
The longest drawing, held in Jhapa, attracted the attention of many. The drawing was completed with the participation of over 4000 students and 1000 other people. The completed length of the drawing is 5000 meters (5Km) and was done on fabric, has used 1800 liters of paint and 1000 brushes. This has been brought to Kathmandu to be handed over to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Physical Planning and Housing.

Students drawing their own dream house

A local girl dreaming her own home

Since the drawing was all on housing it has created an impact on housing to more than 30,000 individuals, creating awareness on housing. This also has attracted media and has come on national television channels.

Rally

Rally on shelter needs and advocacy: mass participation

The rally on “Shelter needs and Advocacy” was organized. This rally was of about 40 minute walking from the Town hall of Dhulabari to the 5000th house with more than 2000 individuals taking part.

Gathering
After the dedication of the house and the rally the main celebration to mark the 5000th families assisted in Nepal was held at the town hall in Dhulabari, Jhapa. This was presided over by the Member Secretary of the Social Welfare Council, affiliated to the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare. Additionally the event was attended by over 3000 individuals, representing UN-Habitat Nepal and Nairobi, Government of Nepal, Habitat for Humanity International, various national and local organizations, all our partner organizations and large members from the Village Banks. It was unfortunate that the Hon. Speaker Mr. Subash Nembang could not attend the celebrations as the chief guest due to political issues in Kathmandu.
During this gathering the souvenir book that contained messages from the Prime Minister and the government officials, messages from Habitat International and other relevant organizations, was inaugurated. Additionally the CD of the theme song on Habitat was also inaugurated.
Three cultural dances from local schools added more color and entertainment to the program.
The responsibility for organizing the event was undertaken by our partner, Hatemelo Seva Samuha.

5000st House Ground Breaking Ceremony
On 13th July, 5001st ground breaking ceremony was held in the district of Kavre and the corner stone was laid by the Member Secretary of Social Welfare Council on behalf of the Government of Nepal as the Prime Minister of Nepal could not attend the celebrations. The event was organized by ADRA Nepal. The event was attended by UN Habitat, USA Embassy, all implementing partners and the home partners of Kavre district.
One of the main attractions of the event in addition to the laying of the corner stone was the demonstration of the prefabricated bamboo housing. The miniature model was assembled in 20 minutes.

Hon. guests attending 5001st house ceremony

Dinner
On the evening of 13th July, a formal dinner was held for the Ambassadors and the Heads of INGOs in the Kumari Hall of Hotel de l’ Annapurna. It was co-sponsored by Omni Groups of Industries. The dinner started with a short welcome and a short introduction about Habitat Nepal, a short clip on the 5000th house dedication and 5001st Ground ceremony was also shown.
Informal talks with all the dignitaries were encouraged and the talks lasted though the dinner that started at 7 p.m. ended around 9 p.m.

The event concluded with great success and Habitat Nepal plans to double the number of families served within two years.

For more information:

http://www.habitat.org/ap/news/2009/07_24_2009_Nepal_Celebrates_5000_House_Breaks_Ground_For_5001.aspx#P1_15

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Habitat for Humanity: Nepali Multiplier Effect!

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), German dramatist, poet & novelist

Ms. Bibi Khantung, 45 yrs, of Morang, Nepal expressed “I am considered ‘untouchable caste’ and excluded from the community. But when the Habitat volunteers came to my house and worked for more than a week, now people in the community know me. Now I become popular in the community and they visit my house and ask me several questions about volunteers. I feel very proud the Global Village International volunteers worked so hard on my house. Also now my house is named as International House.”

Habitat for Humanity likes to say we build more than houses, “we build communities!” But really, what happens is even more than that: it’s the Habitat multiplier effect! Global Village team members contribute more than just their time; they leave behind a lasting legacy and take away more than just memories.

Bold Geniuses at Work
Teams have an important long-term impact on the home partners and also on wider community. This past fall, SOS Children’s Village, a Habitat partner NGO in Nepal, hosted a Global Village team from the Shanghai American School. After getting back to their own community, one of the student volunteers reported, “The Global Village effort showed us that we can all help in our community. We have now formed a local volunteer group among our own students and have already helped other home partners build their homes and will continue to help others. Thank you to Habitat for bringing the volunteers and showing us how to work together in our own community.”

Over the past 14 months we have reported on Global Village team’s experiences in Nepal. Based on the emails we receive from people after they return home and the number of team’s re-booking for another visit we can conclude the program is a big success. But what about the impact on the home owners once the volunteers leave? Do 5, 6 or 10 days of a volunteer team’s effort have a greater effect than just the Stone, bricks, mortar and bamboo they leave behind?

It Takes a Village
Having people from different cultural and religious backgrounds invest their time and effort in homes owners provides families with a deep sense of acceptance and a greater position in their community. Habitat for Humanity International Global Village trips to Nepal give participants a unique opportunity to become active partners with people of another culture. Team members work alongside members of the host community, raising awareness of the burden of poverty housing and building decent, affordable housing worldwide. As partners, teams members help build a true global village of love, homes, communities and hope!

Sometimes when a Global Village Team starts a project in a village, the villagers are confused. “What could just a few volunteers do in such a short time?” However after staying for a week or more the locals have a different perspective. “I planned to finish my house in two months but when the volunteers came we all worked and finished the house in one week. I realized I also saved lots of money in labor costs and now I can buy furniture and household things to make my family more comfortable,” said by 40 yrs old Ms. Gita Danuwar, Kavre.

After staying for a week or more there is a bond between volunteers and communities. Volunteers and home partners exchange their love, feelings and even gifts. The people from the whole cluster gather and give a grand farewell with lots of garlands which tied a deep relationship between them. Communities where Global Village teams have worked now eagerly await the arrival of new teams and are excited about extending the Habitat for Humanity International program in their village.

Global Village team projects have received excellent media coverage in national and local media. This publicity has brought lots of requests from other communities to build their houses with Habitat’s help, and they are also enthusiastic to work with international people. Now, the news spreading from the Habitat work sites to other areas of Nepal bringing lots of demand from the community not only to get support to build houses but also to build local schools, public libraries etc. Especially community young people have started to express their interest and commitment to work with Habitat. Presently, Habitat is working in Terai southern regions of Nepal. But with the Habitat “Multiplier Effect” in full operation, we expect to be working in the hill and mountain regions soon!

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