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Ama Ghar: Eco Home
by BRITTANY SEARLE
| FROM ISSUE # 196 (April 2012) | IN THIS ISSUE | |||
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Nestled in the foothills of Godavari is Ama Ghar. More than a building with spectacular views, it is a place filled with love and hope that is only possible from children who have been given a second chance at life. Founded in 2001 by Sharwan Nepali, the Ama Foundation has gone above and beyond expectations since its formation. Their new bulding, a completely self-sustainable and eco friendly facility, not only provides their children room to thrive but is teaching them the value of preserving the beauty of the place they call home. Country manager, Bonnie Ellison lives with the children of Ama Ghar and represents the Ama Foundation in Nepal.Born in America, she is affectionately referred to as Bonnie Aunty and has been visiting Nepal for the past 50 years.If her first love is the children she has come to know as well as any mother, her second is the landsapce of her adopted home. She is also the visionary behind many of the buildings' innovative techniques. "Truly, my idea was just that I really don't want to see the sewer of this valley enter into that river," she explained from her balcony that overlooks the serene Godavari landscape. "The condition of the Bagmati just hurts my heart. I used to swim in it. It used to have fish in it, and it used to be a real river." While Nepalis suffer from the effects of a myriad of shortages, the Ama Ghar building generates its own resources. As a result, sponsors and regular donators are not only able to see their money at work but know that it is well spent. "Using our resources wisely first means to be eco friendly, yes but the other good reason is to save money on utilities which frees up money for other necessities like food and education expenses," she said. With a 2.2 KW PV solar system that consists of 12 panels for electricity and 12 for heating water, the pain of load shedding doesn't faze the residents of the Ama Ghar. Not only are they free to live without the stress of load shedding, it also makes the children feel safer. Yet, the most impressive conservation technique built into the Ama Ghar is the Decentralized Wastewater Treatment System (DEWATS), which is used to treat three stages of wastewater. Its installation means all water that leaves the Ama Ghar is clean enough to enter the river. The DEWATS system features a fully functional bio gas chamber that uses green waste and black water to generate gas that can be used for cooking.Currently enough gas is produced to fuel one burner but by summer, enough gas will be produced to fuel two, significantly reducing gas bills. Ellison hopes that the Ama Ghar house can act as a showcase for the valley, encouraging them to take responsibility for their waste and resource consumption. Yet at the core of the Ama vision is always the children who the building was constructed for. "The sustainability part is hopefully designed for the children's education," she said. "The purpose of our eco systems is to educate our children and also our neighbors." The love the children, the staff, the volunteers and visitors have for each other shows itself in the thoughtful structure of the Ama Ghar: their love letter to Nepal and a shining exaple of what it is to live on the foundations of hope. The Power of Sisterhood Taking part in her ninth trip to Nepal, Australian Development worker, Stephanie Wollard is moving mountains in the name of fair trade and women. The driving force behind the not- for- profit organization Seven Women, Stephanie Wollard has dedicated her career in development to teaching disabled women valuable skills to better their lives. Inspired by one of her first trips to Nepal, where she encountered seven women making handicrafts in a tin shed, she developed Seven Women with the intention of selling their products in Australia. Today Seven Women has provided jobs and training to over 100 disabled Nepali women while a training skills center has been erected where the tin shed the women worked from them once stood, as part of a partnership with the Fair Trade Group ESPA Nepal. Through fundraising initiatives the women have been able to take part in a number of courses, including a three-month embroidery course funded by The World Bank. In many cases Seven Women has been a catalyst for change in many women's lives, improving their self-esteem and giving them a place to share their stories. Yet the skills they have learnt are of the most value giving them the chance to lift themselves out of poverty. According to Wollard, many of the women who work at the centre and take part in the training faced harsh conditions and social stigmas within their own villages. The opportunities Seven Women has given them have not only changed their lives but the lives of their families. "Working for a fair wage has enabled the women to be economically empowered. In the first year of the centre when they were being trained and learning how to make new designs," she said. "Once the women were producing better quality goods we changed the wage system to a piece by piece basis system which allowed many to earn more. This has allowed them to pay for their children to go to school and in some cases- their husband's medical bills." One such person is 17 year old Ram Maya Amagi. Born with a deformity that hindered her speech, she was unable to speak and was referred to as 'semi-dumb.' As result of her work at with Wollard and ESPA Nepal she was offered the medical treatment she needed to speak properly after a hospital read of her disability. Today Amagi believes one of her biggest achievements so far is learning to speak better than she ever could. "When I met these women, I wanted to work with them to create change. So that they could live lives they enjoyed rather than just survive," Wollard said. The process has not been an easy one for women who have faced such discrimination they doubt their abilities. The progress towards producing quality goods was slow, while in the first years Wollard paid to have goods imported to Australia hoping that with training, the women would improve the quality of their work. As a result of Wollard's persistence many of the women are now aiming to train others, hoping that they too can help women like themselves. Some are even looking to develop their own businesses, a hopeful outcome for the sustainability of the Seven Women initiative. Stephanie adds, "Being a foreigner and working in a different culture is not an easy task. There have been many challenges and lessons along the way… and I speak Nepali. I am very pleased at how successful the project has become. A lot of hard work has gone into it. "
With a fully functional rainwater collection system, a number of wells, a 30, 000 litre water tank and a series of French drains, money is not spent on drinking water. In fact, during the monsoons, water is directed back to the river where the surrounding farmers can put it to good use.
