Nepal - Housing for women nearly complete at Her Farm

25 April 2013

With help from 34 volunteers from Stelly's Secondary School, we've nearly finished the first home for women at Her Farm in Nepal. Her Farm is a home for landless women and children who have no place to go. In the past these women would often end up in a group home or shelter in Kathmandu. There, they'd be taught tailoring, weaving or some other skill that was intended to lead to self-sufficiency. Sadly, that seldom works. The market in Nepal is flooded with cheap imports from India and China and exporting products is difficult, so many women and their children continue to survive with donor support in these shelters.

At Her Farm, we recognized that most of these women already had a valuable job skill; they are farmers. 80% of Nepal is farming and 90% of the farm work is performed by women. Our solution is to provide a roof over their heads and good land to farm, from which they can truly become self-sufficient.

One year ago we were able to purchase land. This year, thanks to our great volunteers, we've nearly completed construction on housing for women who will live at Her Farm. This huge 4 room house was constructed from earth bags, which are rice bags filled with dirt, compacted and stacked with barbed wire acting as mortar. The home can hold perhaps as many as 20 people.

There's a bit more work to do before it's fully ready for occupancy, but we are nearly there.

 

Thank you Stelly's Secondary School