Projects Past & Present
Village Environment Community Gangkharka works on development projects big and small. The key to the success of our work is the involvement of international volunteers working in conjunction with local Nepali staff. Our work is a collaborative effort not to force one side's "ways" upon the other, but instead to meet the needs of Sindhupalchok's populations in a way that is respectful of their situation and which helps them to develop an adaptable and sustainable way to thrive in the face of a changing world. Review our projects below, and please consider supporting our work through our friends at Wide Awake International.
"No matter how attractive a rural society may seem, its people cannot be denied the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of modern development." - H.H. The Dalai Lama
Micro-Hydroelectric System, Fall 2009
Gangkharka Student Sponsorships
VEC will soon be responsible not only for the upkeep of the boarding school and hostel it recently funded, but also for the education of its students. There are currently 108 students enrolled at the school, and their education runs about $600 per year, or about $2 a day. This includes their school uniforms, school supplies, bedding, and food, which has now become our greatest cost. VEC is currently asking for sponsors to come forward with a giving plan to help sponsor these students' education. If you would like to become a sponsor, or contribute towards a child's education, please contact Project Manager Beau Miller at vecgangkharka@gmail.com. To download a list of some of our students, click on the files below.
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Gangkharka Boarding School Construction, September 2008- April 2009
Health Camp, October 2008
Ground broke on our biggest project in our history on September 15, 2008. After years of dreaming, planning, and research, construction on a VEC-funded boarding school began in Gangkharka. The school is scheduled for completion in April 2009, and will combine modern teaching techniques by a staff of Nepali teachers and international volunteers, as well as teach traditional art forms and dance to its students.
Our hope is for the school to become a model in rural education. Though relatively isolated from Kathmandu, solar panels will provide electricity, providing the possibility for multi-media lessons. The presence of internationals with their own ideas for programs will also stimulate the young minds of our students, and we hope to emphasize critical and analytical thinking in our classrooms to give students the tools they will need to be effective leaders of these communities in the future.
The school houses and feeds approximately 100 students from throughout Helambu. They range in ages from 3 to 15.
In October 2008, Pearl and Sally, two nurses from Scotland traveled through Helambu and Baruwa with president Dorjee Sherpa and a contingent VEC staff. With approximately $600 worth of medicine purchased in Kathmandu, the team traveled to the villages of Yangri, Gangkharka, and Baruwa to diagnose and treat the region's sick and injured. In one week, they treated approximately 200 people for a variety of conditions until they ran out of medicine. Meeting with VEC, the villagers of Yangri were enthusiastic at the idea of a permanent medical clinic established in their village. An additional medical clinic drastically would reduce the travel time it takes for medical help be reached, and its need was evidenced by the hundred more villagers who attended the health camp and could not recieve treatment due to the exhausted supply of materials.
Bridge Construction, Spring 2008
In early 2008, VEC lobbied the Nepali government to build a bridge outside Gangkharka to facilitate the herding of livestock to pasture. Though usually working independently and contracting construction for its own projects, VEC prides itself on its ability to reach the ear of government officials on behalf of the people of Helambu.
Clothing Distribution, February 2006
Working with Safe Journey Trekking Company and Treks Scotland, VEC oversaw a clothing distribution campaign that gave out warm clothing in anticipation of the cold winter months.
School Scholarships, January 2006
VEC and Safe Journey Trekking Company sponsor forty-five children from the Helambu region who attend a boarding school in Kathmandu. They originally came to the school to escape violence from the civil war that raged between the Nepali army and Maoist guerillas for more than a decade.
Helambu School Project, 2002
Safe Journey Trekking Company and VEC collaborate to build a school in a Helambu village.
Watermill Project, 2001
VEC organized the construction of several watermills in Helambu. Watermills are small stone huts that straddle a small river or creek. They use the force of the current to spin a wheel inside the hut which grinds corn or wheat into flour.
Fencing Project, 2000
VEC and Safe Journey Trekking Company collaborated to purchase, transport, and assemble materials needed to build fencing for the purpose of protecting village crops from deer, wild boar, and other animals in Helambu.