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Projects we are doing now
The nursery continues to grow Bamboo and other
grasses which are not available locally. The cost of
maintaining the nursery with two full time employees, is about
$325.00/ month
The School is
preparing to close for the fall holiday and harvest season. For
the school and teacher we need about $200/ month. Each of our 5
students require $50.00/ month in materials and other assistance.
About 8 acres of
very steep, soft, landslide prone land above the nursery has been
planted in a very deep rooted, perennial grass called "Broomgrass"
as the flowering stalks are used locally to make brooms. This
project cost us $350 and has already been paid for.
The planting of
200 Bamboo plants on land near to the nursery cost $650.00. The
majority of this cost is due and not yet paid. Please help.
We have just
about completed another large Bamboo planting project nearer to
Pokhara. Approximately 10 acres of steep and eroded wasteland
have been fenced and planted. This is being turned over to a
village elected committee to maintain for the benefit of the village.
This has cost us $1200, all of which is due soon.
In the USA we are
currently in great need of support as well. This website
involves a great amount of time to create and maintain.
Registering the project as a Non-profit organization will require
about $400 in direct costs. Registering this website with search
engines needs hundreds of dollars as well.
Projects
we are dreaming of in future
Our short term
goals include maintaining and improving the school in many ways.
First by teaching what we do know to as many women as we can afford
to. In the next year we would like to send a student or
apprentice teacher to furniture making factories in India, Vietnam,
Thailand or Indonesia to learn their more highly refined skills.
She would then return to teach these crafts locally. As
the project progresses we are continually being offered small tracks
of waste land on which to plant Bamboo. If you wish to be
informed of these projects as they come up, please let us know.
Most of them are of relatively small cost and could conceivably be
supported by a single individual. Imagine how it would feel to
personally sponsor reviving a piece of eroded land as well as bring a
new sense of wealth to a village community. There is a seemingly
endless quantity of these arrangements. Our
long term goal is to introduce some fairly large factory just below
the confluence of the Trisuli, Kali Gandaki and Seti rivers in the
town of NarayanGhar in the Terrai. We assume it will produce
either Bamboo flooring or Bamboo lumber (and then furniture
or?). Paper is also a possibility. The idea is that fully
25% of Nepal's watershed drains past this town and much of this
environmentally distressed watershed is perfect for growing
Bamboo. It is a relatively small task to transport Bamboo from
these areas down the river to the factory. NO roads need to be
built. NO large changes in cultures or lifestyles need
occur. The Environment can be greatly improved and millions of
villagers can gently improve their livelihoods. Please
join us in this very worthy effort. You can donate to a specific
cause or make a general donation. We encourage you to create a
monthly donation program, but everything you offer is greatly and
genuinely needed. You can use the donation program on this page
or contact us personally. A very warm thank you for your
interest and support.
The Bamboo's Secret Project
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