Awasuka Expansion Program

The construction of 120 chimneys starts in Bhimphedi

February 4th 2019, the Awasuka volunteers who carried out the Retrofitting works leave Bhimphedi, but Awasuka continues to work from Barcelona. Amongst many other tasks, Monica works on the editing of a video for chimney-hood awareness: Manisha Gurung contributes to this video on the English translations and voiceovers, while Hareram Pudassaini plays the anchorman role.

Mid March 2019, Monica arrives in Nepal to start working in the field with Hareram, the new Awasuka manager for Chimney-Hood project. Together they attend meetings with Practical Action (Kathmandu), MRC Hetauda (Practical Action’s partner in Makwanpur), Bhimphedi’s different Cooperatives, the chimney-hood manufacturers and also Bhimphedi Gaupalika. The meetings are fruitful and the Chimney Project ends up with an agreement signed by all parts, to be started once the Awareness Speeches are finalized.

Furthermore, Monica and Hareram have a meeting with the current Doctor at Bhimphedi Health Center, to analyze Dr Paula Minguell’s Bhimphedi Health Report (carried out in 2013), and to their surprise, they confirm the data contained is still valid: the first death-cause in Bhimphedi is Upper Respiratory Diseases – obviously caused by indoor smoke.

That’s why Awasuka Program wants to build chimney-hoods during its last stage: because indoor smoke kills 22.000 per year in Nepal, while the earthquake killed only 9.000. However, it is very hard to make people aware of this fact. For this reason we have prepared a tailored presentation in Nepali, which includes information about the chimney benefits as well as local health data, to be shown at the different awareness meetings with the local people.

During three long weeks, and thanks to the Women Cooperative staff, Hareram has covered 18 communities so far (click here for details); now only 5 communities are left. Until today, more than 500 people have been briefed about the chimney-hoods benefits. We are pleased to have 120 orders for chimney hoods, to be started very soon, and more to come!

Enjoy Hareram’s video about Chimneys, along with a presentation of the different coomunities where he has held Awareness Meetings.

Awasuka Program is carried out jointly by Amics del Nepal, base-A, CCD-UPC University, Agragaami Krishak Krishi Sahakaari and Rotary Club of Kantipur. Recently, Rotary Club of Hetauda has also joined in.