2010 Progress Report
Although the CIDA supported sanitation program currently represents our key development activity, due to internal changes in the way the new Voluntary Sector Fund CIDA allocates funds to eligible NGOs, the current project sharing ratio is also benefiting the NGOs. In the past,CIDA's project cost sharing was based on a 2:1 ratio. Starting with the new three-year sanitation project program, project cost sharing ration has been changed to benefit the NGOs to 3:1. This change also provides us with more funds to support a range of other activities other than sanitation. It has always been our policy to let the beneficiaries determine their own development priorities. This approach is absolutely necessary in view of the substantial in-kind contribution in locally available project materials and voluntary labor we demand from the benefiting villagers.
With the restoration of peace in Nepal, the villagers are now also seeking the resumption of activities that we were compelled to suspend due to the Maoist insurrection. The main casualty was the support of drinking water systems, not by the rebels but by the security forces to prevent some of the components to be used for the making of explosive devices. Thus currently in addition to sanitation, we support school construction, drinking water systems, biogas cooking installations, micro hydel installations, agricultural soil conservation and rehabilitation of foot trails damaged by landslides, although on a very limited annual budget we can allocate for these activities.
The two illustrations above show the recently completed projects. On the left is a drinking water reservoir. We now not only construct the reservoir tanks deeper in the ground, but also fence them in with barbed wire to prevent thirsty villagers from ripping the tank covers open. The second picture on the right illustrates NSP latrine with an attached biogas plant. The housewife is pouring water into the digester. The digester accepts all kinds of animal and agricultural waste. The biogas installations are heavily subsidized by the government in order to encourage people to switch from health harming cooking on an open fire in households that have no ventilation to biogas. The construction is being undertaken by government appointed contractor. Although the cost is very reasonable, an equivalent of $239, which includes all materials and construction, it is still beyond the reach of the majority of villagers wit no source of income.
Michael R. Rojik, Executive Director
E-mail: projects-info@nepalschoolprojects.on.ca
Go to next page How you can help