is a traveling sales exhibition of large-format photographs of Himalayan nature and the lives of ordinary people in Nepal. The aim of the project is to obtain funding for the construction of a new primary school in the poor mountain region of Nepal and thus support the parent project of the charity association Namasté Nepal Education for Nepal.
It is currently focused on the following basic directions:
- Financial support for the construction of new schools for children.
- Sending volunteers to Nepalese schools.
- Basic literacy program and special courses for adults.
- The development of a new prototype of the school called Bamboo School continues.
Why it’s good:
- With new schools, you make studying accessible to children from areas where the school is either not at all, and children would have to walk to the nearest school for miles through dangerous terrain, or it is in a state of disrepair and staying in it endangers children’s lives. The village community is so poor that it does not have the resources to build or repair its own school.
- By education, you give a chance for a better life and the ability to take care of themself and their family to people who would otherwise remain completely illiterate. This applies in particular to rural areas.
- With special educational programs, such as computer courses, you contribute to increasing employment opportunities, especially for young people.
- In many aspects, existing schools do not meet the needs of local people or the demands of teaching, and they no longer meet the idea of schools for the 21st century.
Bamboo School – MELA
We continue to develop this building, which is designed from local natural materials such as clay or bamboo. We are refining the proposal with regard not only to local possibilities, but also, for example, to the dangers of earthquakes or landslides.
MELA is a project for the construction of schools in Nepal, which was launched by the first completed Bamboo School building at the turn of years 2012-13 in the village of Anaikot in the Kavre district, about 25 km east of Kathmandu. The design for this rural area in mountainous central Nepal was created in 2009, when it succeeded in an international architectural competition. MELA replaces the existing type of school in Nepal, which mostly suffers from problems with heat, noise during rains, lack of daylight and general inhospitality for children and teachers.
Innovative design of MELA type schools:
- brings color and playfulness to the school
- opens classrooms to views of the countryside
- brings daylight through an open wall and a pleasant shade through long roof overlaps
- allows to increase the capacity of classes with a larger number of students
- resists earthquakes (most of Nepalese territory lies in an active seismic area)
MELA in Sanskrit means MEETING or a BIG EVENT. We are therefore creating a place where children will love to go. A place that will encourage the whole community to spend free time together.