Earthbags for Education: A Community Development Program in Nepal

Edge of Seven is transforming education for girls in rural Nepal by bringing together local NGOs and valuable resources to serve local communities. Our program revitalizes rural villages through community driven projects that bring needed sustainable infrastructure, like schools, to remote regions.

The Specifics

As part of Edge of Seven’s Community Development Program, we are building a higher secondary school in Basa, Nepal. This school will be the second high school in the entire Everest Region (which is a 15 day walk north to south), and will serve 150 additional students per year. The Basa school will be built from earthbags, a sustainable, seismic-resistant building method that utilizes accessible local materials (as simple as dirt). GOOD’s grant will support building material costs associated with earthbag construction. In addition, the grant will facilitate community building and education initiatives in Basa, such as forming a parent-teacher association, to encourage school enrollment and attendance for girls.

Discussion

On top of all the great work they're doing, Edge of Seven utilizes a game-changing fundraising technique developed by a dude named Taylor Conroy. The idea is to take advantage of your social network and get your friends to donate to your cause - and I know it works because I got roped into donating to Edge of Seven by my friend mpazoles (see above comment) shortly before he WENT to Nepal to help build one of the schools. Taylor's TEDx talk describing the technique is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aC02SmuOxYI and his blog is http://destroynormalblog.com

by dscush

about 1 year ago | Reply

For Trina, and those interested, here is a bit of info. on earthbag construction. Earthbag construction is a sustainable building technique that uses polypropylene bags (rice bags in Nepal) filled with dirt as the primary building block. Each layer/course is held together with barbed wire. The technique has proven to be environmentally friendly and seismically resistant. In Nepal's mountainous regions, earthbags are of particular benefit because materials are very easy to transport. The dirt comes from the ground at the site as you construct the foundation. The bags are light and much easier to carry than traditional building materials like rocks. Check out the blog Edge of Seven's architect wrote on our past earthbag project: http://earthbagbuilding.com/projects/nepalschool.htm.

by tskred

about 1 year ago | Reply

Thank you for this amazing outpouring of support! Edge of Seven is lucky to have such a strong group of advocates. This project will be offering 100+ students the valuable gift of education. For more background on the project and a quick story around the overarching need, please check out the following blog: http://edgeofseven.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/vote-for-edge-of-seven-its-quick-and-easy-to-make-an-impact/. Thank you again! With your support, we can help to transform education in Nepal's Everest Region. Warm Regards, Emily Stanley Program Director Edge of Seven

by tskred

about 1 year ago | Reply

Hi, We would love to know more about this earth bag method of building. Looks good and quick construction. Well done. Trina Mitchell - New Zealand trinammitchell@gmail.com

by Chalky

about 1 year ago | Reply

This is a truly unique organization that approaches international sustainable development holistically. They look to unlock human potential not just in the countries in which they operate, but in the people that make their mission possible. There aren't words to express just how much they've touched people's lives - my own included.

by mpazoles

about 1 year ago | Reply

Edge of Seven is doing amazing work to provide an education to so many deserving young women in Nepal, and in the end an entire community. Bravo. But they aren't just providing an education to the girls in Nepal; they are providing an opportunity for the rest of us to live with, work with, and build not just a school or a well or a hostel; but a relationship. They are fostering relationships between those of us in the "privileged", developed world and those in a developing country. Those who may have so much less material wealth, but have a richness that will reawaken the goodness in us all. They are opening our eyes and our hearts to what it really means to care, share and love. I feel very good about the work that Edge of Seven allowed me to do in Nepal and how it will provide for an entire community. But I can also say that I received far more than I gave. Thank You Edge of Seven, not just for what you do to provide education and opportunity for those in Nepal, but for what you gave me - a true sense of humanity. Thank You.

by goodbarb

about 1 year ago | Reply