The Bimire Water Project

PROVIDE 400+ PEOPLE WITH WATER.

The village of Bimire sits at 1200 meters elevation overlooking the town of Melamchi and the Indrawati River valley. To the north sits the majestic Langtang Mountain Range, with snow-capped mountains at over 7,000 meters. Our first ever community project, the Siddhartha Primary School, was constructed in Bimire in 2016 with more than 16,000 earth bricks. Far from any main roads, Bimire families often have a harder time getting supplies and selling their produce to the bigger market towns. Despite that, they are a very active and strong community consisting of Magar, Dahal, Acharya, and other ethnic groups, and we have always been close with this community of friendly, hard working, and diverse people.

This nearly 100 household village is known for producing organic vegetables and some of the hardest workers around. The village of Bimire is where our first community project was completed and now we will partner with Bimire again to provide 400+ people safe and secure drinking water.

one water project complete & now 30 more households need water..actually wait, 80+ households!

Last year when we completed our first ever drinking water distribution project in Takure, we hoped for many things to happen: (1) increased access to water, (2) increased equity in water access, (3) community relationship building, (4) community capacity building and (5) for the government and other NGOs to learn alongside us how to effectively and efficiently provide clean water to this region. The Takure Water Project was a huge feat, taking 8 informal community access points and building a system that would support 96 households to simultaneously have access to water in their own homes. After the completion of this project, the local government, Indrawati Gaunpalika and Ward 4 officials were so impressed by the project that they asked us to support a drinking water project for a small community in Bimire of 30 households. The best part: they would partner with us and have an available budget for the project!

We quickly called on our water engineer and project manager, Krishna Adhikari, to start with a community wide meeting and needs assessment. In doing so, we discovered that the 30 homes initially requested were only a portion of the homes needing a new water distribution system. After speaking with the local government, we expanded the project to include 82 households (also expanding the budget) and conducted a feasibility study and community meeting to set an implementation plan for the project.

Community-wide meeting to establish an implementation plan and create community committees to manage the project.

THE CURRENT WATER SITUATION IN BIMIRE.

For the 400+ people that reside in Bimire, water challenges are constant. There are three sections of the community, an upper 25 household neighborhood and two lower neighborhoods consisting of around 27 households each. The upper community has one water source (natural spring) established, however it is downhill from the community, meaning that each day families walk to fetch water in plastic and metal jugs, taking up to 2 hours of work every day. Fetching water is typically done only for domestic use, and does not provide anything for agriculture.

The lower neighborhoods have access to around 4 water sources (natural springs) with community access points (or taps), however the system is disorganized and inequitable. Furthermore, the community taps are a long distance from some households, thus families still need to spend time daily to fetch water.

Community leader, Shiva Rana Magar, sits in front of the 1 established reservoir tank that stores around 10,000 liters of water. This tank, plus another that will be constructed during the project, will store water from the source to enable the community increased access to water.

A community access point (or tap) located below the upper neighborhood of Bimire where families fetch water every day or do laundry and dish washing, as pictured here.

Imagine for a moment, every bit of water you use in 1 single day.

If you are a rural Nepali farmer your list would look something like this: water to drink, water to cook (local families cook rice and lentils for 2 meals each day, both of which require water to cook), water to wash dishes, water to clean, water for showering and hand washing, clothes washing, and not to mention watering your garden that provides food for your family or giving water to your cow that produces milk daily (thus income for your family). Our assessments show that a family in Bimire on average uses 165 liters of water per day. If your house was a 10 minute walk downhill from the spring source, and you could on average carry 20 liters of water per trip (20 kgs or 40 lbs of weight), you would spend around 3 hours per day to fetch water.

Now imagine you are kid that could be studying for those 3 hours instead of fetching water and you can see the disparity caused by water limitations.

Our assessment also shows that on average each family in Bimire needs more water than the 165 liters per day, that they actual need 250 liters of water per day to accomplish their household and agricultural tasks. We are partnering with this community to make their water challenges something of the past.

This new distribution system will also allow the community to purchase access to a new spring that is about 1 km above their community. This will allow the system to be gravity fed to each home, making for easier design and longevity.

A young boy in Bimire fetches water in a metal jug that he will then take home for his family to use.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

In order to make this project a reality, we are fundraising $18,000 USD which combined with the $5,300 USD government contribution and $1,500 community contribution will be able to supply 400+ people with drinking water for years and years to come. It will enable 82 households to have increased water access and more secure water supply allowing them to produce more agricultural products leading to better income. This is a life changing project for the community of Bimire and we need your help to make it happen.

We are looking for fundraisers and donors for this project. Do you think your friends and family would be supportive of supplying water to 400+ people in rural Nepal? Become a fundraiser today! If you don’t have the time to fundraise with us, consider being a donor. Any amount helps us reach our goal and puts us closer to making Bimire’s water challenges a reality of the past.

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Each donation supports Nepali families to access water

$50 brings clean water to 1 person

$200 buys one truckload of sand

$300 brings clean water to 1 family

$1500 brings clean water to 5 homes

$3000 brings clean water to 50 people

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PROJECT BUDGET BREAKDOWN

TOTAL BUDGET $24,800 USD

OUR COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM SERVEs COMMUNITIES’ NEEDS AND DESIRES while building capacity and resilience.

When we first began our rebuilding work in 2015, we were not always sure what our work would look like, but we knew we wanted to be in support of community resilience and capacity building in addition to supporting the reconstruction of physical buildings. Our Community Infrastructure program allows communities to request the support they need to make change in their own communities, on their own terms. These projects are community-led and participatory which is a really inspiring process to watch and be a part of. Each household is required to fulfill volunteer work days or contribute to the project in some way. Community members volunteer to take on leadership roles for the project implementation and oversight and to ensure community participation and longevity of the project.

Krishna Adhikari, head engineer, and community leaders creating a resource map for the community of Bimire.

These projects are a beautiful and inspiring process, and we are grateful to have the support from so many people around the world to watch this process unfold, evolve, and impact communities positively.

thank you for all the support!

22 Moments from 2022

Take a look at our 22 best moments from 2022!

2022 was a big year for us — we completed our biggest community project and reopened volunteer programs! We are so grateful to all of the donors, volunteers, and community partners that made this amazing list of 22 moments possible. After 7 years of doing this work in Takure, we are still so inspired and committed to our mission — to connect people to themselves, to one another and to the Earth through conscious, effective and positive service work in rural Sindhupalchok. Thank you for helping to make this happen!

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1. a complete, new water system for takure

2022 was a big year for us as we completed the Takure Water Project! After nearly 5 years of discussion, 2 full years of community mobilization and government coordination, and 1 year of fundraising, it is amazing to see the 96 household taps bring water directly to every community household. We are so grateful to everyone who made this water project possible.

2. 800 kgs of coffee picked and processed

Local farmers in Takure and the surrounding villages harvested more than 800 kilograms (or 1760 pounds) of red coffee cherry this year. After 5 years of planting coffee alongside these farmers, what a joy it was to see them happy with their harvests. We hope these harvests continue to grow year after year and that local livelihoods are supported by this additional income.

There is still time to get Takure Coffee in your own home!

We would love to have you try this delicious, specialty coffee that was grown, harvested and processed by farmers in Takure. Become a monthly donor before 2023, and we will send you a 250 gram bag of freshly roasted coffee this January!

3. The school mushroom project

Recently, we partnered with the Simpalkavre Secondary School, about 1.5 hours away, to teach class 8 students how to cultivate oyster mushrooms. The students were taught the theory of mushroom cultivation and then we worked with them to pasteurize straw and prepare bags of oyster mushrooms. Each student will take home and care for this bag of mushrooms for 4-6 weeks until their family eats or sells the oyster mushrooms.

4. we built a 2nd dome!

And hosted our 2nd ever Earthbag Construction Training Courses led by Mariana Jimenez. The 12 day course taught the 8 participants how to build a dome from foundation to roof plus some plastering too. As a result, we have a beautiful dome that is 4.2 meter in diameter and will happily house our long term staff and volunteers at camp.

5. twelve (12) classrooms painted

We are still brightening up rural classrooms in Nepal, supporting students to have more inspiring and engaging learning spaces. In just 4 days a team of 8 volunteers works to make 2 school classrooms for young kids beautiful, colorful and fun for learning. It is a transformative experience for all and all of our volunteers leave the projects feeling tired, but proud to see the immediate impact of their work.

6. women weaving chakatis

Sanu Kanchi Rana Magar (top left photo) is a weaver among weavers. Her hands never stop and her smile never fades. Over the past two years she along with a handful of other local women have woven hundreds of products now featured all of over the world by her customers (donors and volunteers). Recently the women’s small coaster sized “chakatis” were used in a wedding in Greece (pictured bottom left with Dolma Tamang). This was also the first year we worked with our local artisans to offer traditional weaving workshops. Sanu Kanchi Rana Magar and Dolma Tamang along with our community liaison, Narayan Mama, taught more than 65 volunteers how to weave rice straw into a coaster sized “chakati”.

7. we dug 12,000 meters of trench

To complete the water project in Takure, we dug more than 12 kilometers of trench to lay the pipe underground, that is nearly 7.5 miles. Basically a lot of work, that was only made possible by our donors like Drew Marshall, Shane McKenna, Wheeling 2 Help’s MyQuest volunteer teams, and of course the community of Takure.

8. our chinese cabbage grew bigger than kumari

Our garden spaces have really began to flourish over the past couple of years thanks to all the organic compost our Agriculture team produces via humanure, vermicompost and traditional forms. This year’s chinese cabbage grew so big, nearly as big as our Agriculture Program Coordinator, Kumari Bomjan. As a result of having such a plentiful harvest, we chopped up batches of kimchi to eat. Deliciously fermented!

9. robotic engineers in training

Our youth program partnered with Bikash Deshar for a program on “Designing and Building Simple Robots”. More than 40 high school students from Nawalpur and Aiselu Kharka schools participated in the challenges and by the end of the workshop could build simple robots from scratch using cardboard, recycled paper, super glue, some handy gadgets and batteries. The robots could jump, dance, draw and one was a hopping frog.

10. we canned sita miaju’s tasty achars

We love traditional Nepali food, the diversity, flavors, spices and local ingredients. One of our favorite aspects is the achar or pickle or fermented chutney famous in Thakali cuisine. Sita Miaju, our very own Narayan Mama’s wife, is one of the best makers of achar in Takure. She heats the oil and spices on her fire stove and uses a traditional slate stone to hand grind the ingredients. And now visiting volunteers can take Sita’s achar home with them.

11. breathtaking sunsets & himalayan views

After 7 years of being in Takure, the mountain sunsets and walks through these mid hills of the Himalayas never get old. The orange fiery sunsets and morning sunrise glows as well as the endless rice terraces make us grateful day after day.

12. school field trips to our conscious “camp”

We led 3 different site visits of local high school students to our Camp to teach about sustainability, organic agriculture and environmental science. The students were toured around our site learning from each of our program teams and doing activities like planting mushrooms, visiting the earthbag Dome and discussing ways to be environmentally aware and more sustainable.

13. More, MORE MUSHROOMS!

For the past 2 years, we have been partnering with local farmers to successfully cultivate both shiitake and oyster mushrooms for added income generating activities. We have trained more than 70 farmers and provided both technical and labor support to 25 farmers. As a result, we have also gotten pretty good at growing mushrooms at camp, such that we’ve been eating oyster mushrooms everyday!

14. white water rafting!

Every year we try and take a staff trip to a place new and full of new experiences. This year was one for the books as we went to Sekute Beach in Sindhupalchok, about 2.5 hours away from Takure and went white water rafting for Holi festival. It was hilarious and really pushed the adventure limits of our staff as many of them do not know how to swim or have ever been in a boat before. Fun times were had and we are grateful to these team bonding experiences with our one of a kind local staff.

15. local hikes to Gupha

The winter days are full of clear mountain views and sunny skies. One of our favorite local hikes is to Gupha Dada, or the Hill of Caves where rolling grassy fields meet the Langtang Mountain Range. It is about a 3 hour hike up to Gupha Danda and a 2 hour hike down, so a planned picnic and siesta at the top is a must. 

16. orphanage visits with lots of love!

The local Mother Sister Everest Children’s Home was established in 2015 after the earthquake to support children who’s families had members pass away in the devastating earthquake. We partnered with the Vita Association in 2018 to build a 12 room orphanage with kitchen and play room. The children’s home has 37 children living and staying in a safe and healthy environment. Our youth program leads activities at the orphanage to encourage play and also engage students in creative and academic subjects.

17. Shitake mushroom farming

This year we are partnered with 3 local farmers to build out full size mushroom farms with 100+ producing shiitake logs each. We are utilizing local bamboo and treating it to make a mushroom structure for each farm, supporting the farmer to cut trees appropriate for mushroom cultivation and providing 50% subsidy on the cost of mushroom spores. Additional to this, we are providing technical and labor support. It is an exciting time in the program and our Agriculture Program Coordinator, Kumari Bomjan is excited for local farmers to see the full income generating potential of these delicious and vitamin D rich mushrooms. 

18. farmer field trip to a coffee farm in kavre

Over the past 5 years of planting coffee trees with local farmers, we have learned a lot. Mostly we have learned the importance of showing a good example and allowing farmers to meet other successful farmers like Birdos Lama, a farmer in Kavre that has been growing coffee, macadamia, avocado and other fruits for the past 20 years. Birdos’s farm is full of inspiration and the 42 farmers left feeling ready to plant more trees and continue cultivating new crops for future generations of Sindhuplachok.

19. LEARNING ABOUT LOCAL herbs & AYURVEDA!

Orion Haas, co-Founder and Director of Conscious Impact, began studying Ayurvedic medicine during COVID-19. Ayurveda is the traditional medicine practice from India and Nepal that dates back thousands of years. Thanks to his passion for holistic medicine and Narayan Mama’s connection to elders in the community, they have started collecting local herbs and making medicines, like these “dry cough” herbal packed medicine balls.

20. The afterschool program expanded

Our model afterschool program at Takure Primary School is still in session and creating spaces for students to have creative and extracurricular activities. This year, our program expanded to a new primary school about 30 minutes away, Bhimsen Primary School. Last year we completed a painting project with Bhimsen and then the school principal requested more support. We showed our afterschool implementation plan and offered a training in how to implement an afterschool program on their own. After this training, the school conducted a series of sessions on their own, Conscious Impact disbursed our first ever Afterschool Program Grant to Bhimsen School. The grant has stages and implementation requirements, but we are happy to report the school has completed the first stage of implementation, and as a result have received sets of materials to continue running successful afterschool sessions.

21. we made a ton of compost!

Our agroforestry and reforestation program continued working with farmers to plant high market value fruit and coffee trees and we discovered a shortage of quality, local compost. Thus, we began producing compost with farmers right in their fields where they’ve planted trees. Our compost program worked with more than 15 farmers and trained more than 30 in techniques for improved compost production. This organic fertilizer will make the land and the trees happy.

22. we celebrated all the holidays!

After 2 years of COVID, we were excited to finally celebrate the festival season in October with the local community and also host them to celebrate our festivals too. Our lead engineer, Mariana Jimenez, always makes a traditional pinata for the local kids on Christmas morning, this year they came ready for the candy and fun!

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thank you for your continued support and love. OUR STAFF, volunteers and community partners are so grateful.

Our work is for the long term, and we are looking for donors to support our vision for multi-generational positive impact. If you would like to continue to support our work and see updates like this, please consider joining our monthly donor team, the Sustainers.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to you and your loved ones from our team in takure!

Our 2022-2023 Volunteer Programs are Open!

Our Volunteer Programs are officially open!

Conscious Impact is so excited to officially announce the volunteer programs for 2022-2023, our 8th year of operation! After 2 years of global uncertainty and challenges that restricted international travel, Nepal has officially re-opened it’s boarders to all visitors, and we would love for you to join us in the Himalayas.

Support the community of Takure to build a sustainable, empowered and resilient future.

In 2015, Conscious Impact formed in immediate response to the devastating earthquake that struck Nepal destroying hundreds of thousands of homes and taking thousands of lives. More than 7 years later, we remain committed to supporting the families of Takure to build infrastructure, create sustainable livelihoods and empower their youth to create the future vision for the region. As a volunteer, this means you will work right alongside local Nepalis to support organic agriculture, sustainable construction and youth empowerment programs. You will stay in our volunteer Camp where we cook food together, clean together and enjoy morning and evening activities. In addition to the work, there will be time to dive deeply into the local culture, share meals with Nepali families, go for walks in the mountains and take time for yourself to practice yoga, meditate, play music, create art or do whatever it is you love.

We absolutely love the work that we do, and invite you to join us in Nepal!

Why volunteer with Conscious Impact?

Conscious Impact Nepal is one of the world’s most intimate, effective and sustainable volunteer opportunities abroad. We initially partnered with the community of Takure immediately following the 2015 earthquake to support the reconstruction of schools and homes. Now, more than 7 years later, our relationships in the community have grown wider and stronger. Our agriculture, youth empowerment and natural building programs provide quality, efficient and essential support to the community, and each volunteer makes a huge impact.

In the past 7 years, Conscious Impact has received more than 800 volunteers at our camp in the Himalayas and provided professional, safe and inspiring experiences to each and every volunteer. We pride ourselves on our connection to the local community, our grassroots, community-led programming and the unique and personal volunteering experience provided by our team.

We know that not all volunteering opportunities are created equal, and we believe that you will feel not only that you make an impact during your time, but that you develop honest, authentic and life-long relationships.

Our Upcoming Programs for 2022/2023!

If you are unsure about what to expect, or which dates to join us, feel free to read through these descriptions. Please keep in mind that activities and projects are always subject to change, depending on the needs of the community and the flexible schedules and timing in Nepal. We appreciate your flexibility and understanding.

Harvesting rice in the fields outside of Takure. During our October program, you will get to experience this first hand as we support families to harvest their rice in the foothills of the Himalayas. Photo by Jonathan H. Lee.

Program 1: Rice Harvesting, Celebrating Tihar, Yoga and Service

Dates: October 20-29, 2022

Details: Each year, we are honored to work alongside dozens of families across the hillsides to harvest rice from their fields. This annual rice harvest provides the food for a year for every family in the community. As they say, “it takes a village” to complete this harvest, and we will work right alongside community members to support this enormous task. At the end of the week, the community will celebrate the completion of the harvest with Tihar (October 27th), one of the country’s largest holidays and our personal favorite. You will share the holiday with a family, receive “tika,” a blessing, and feast with traditional Nepali food.

In addition to harvesting rice, you will also participate in our youth program at the local schools, our natural building program supporting local sustainable construction projects, and additional elements of our agriculture program, including working at our on-site demonstration organic garden.

Lastly, this program will include daily yoga classes, plus meditation, hiking and delicious vegetarian food.

October is one of the most beautiful months to be in Nepal, and we absolutely recommend visiting during this time. Sign up today, and see you there!

Hard at work during our first ever earthbag construction in 2017. Our November program will include the opportunity to participate in a few days of our Earthbag Dome Training Course if you would like. Photo by Jonathan H. Lee.

Program 2: Youth, Agriculture and a Dome Construction

Dates: November 14-26, 2022

Details: During our November program, volunteers will divide their time between our main programs: sustainable agriculture, youth empowerment and natural building.

With the holidays complete, students will be back in class and this is an excellent time to work with our youth team to provide meaningful and inspiring extra-curricular activities to the local primary and secondary schools.

In addition, you can support our agriculture team as they care for our local demonstration garden, as well as prepare for the winter planting season of fruit and nut trees. This includes visiting local farmers to examine their land, checking on our coffee crops and managing our growing compost system.

Lastly, November is an excellent time for our natural building program. With the rains finished, the drier climate allows us to complete projects around the community and at our Camp. This November program will be especially exciting as it will coincide with our Earthbag Dome Training Course. As a volunteer, you will get to help to build this dome if you choose, and to learn the basics of the construction technique. If you would like to participate in the full course, please sign up through our Course Interest Form.

A gathering of our international volunteers. If you are looking for a place to be with passionate, kind and caring people for the holidays, our winter program is a great option. Photo by Jonathan H. Lee

Program 3: Volunteer and Celebrate the Holidays!

Dates: December 19-28, 2022

Details: The winter is a clear, beautiful and also cold time of year in Nepal, but for some of us it is our favorite time of year. With the shorter days and longer nights, we spend time around the fire sharing delicious meals and celebrating Winter Solstice, Christmas and other winter holidays. While the community joins some of our celebrations, this is a time during which our international volunteers build strong and lasting relationships among ourselves as well.

In addition to the tea drinking and cookie eating, we will absolutely still be hard at work supporting the community of Takure. December is a great time to get projects done, especially as it is the dry season and the cooler weather allows us to work hard all day. Our youth program will be hard at work, supporting extra-curricular and after school activities with the local primary and secondary school students. Our agriculture team will be working with mushroom cultivation and supporting local farmers to plant fruit and nut trees. And our natural building team will be focused on plastering the new dome (constructed during the November program), managing our bamboo supply and supporting small projects around the community and at our Camp.

Come join us to celebrate the holidays while being of service to the community of Takure. And if you are lucky, we will have clear views of the snow-covered Himalayas all day long. :)

Volunteers with Sunita (front, center) as we neared the completion of her earth home in 2017. During our January program, you will have the opportunity to be introduced to all kinds of earth construction techniques, including bamboo, cob, earthbags, earth bricks and plastering. Photo by Jonathan H. Lee.

Program 4: Youth, Agriculture and an Introduction to Natural Building

Dates: January 5-12, 2023

Details: We will kick off the New Year with a ton of projects in Takure. You can join our agriculture team to cultivate shiitake and oyster mushrooms, plus help manage and distribute compost to support farmers to plant hundreds of fruit and nut trees. You can work with our youth team to design and implement creative educational opportunities through our after-school programs. You can join our natural building team as well to learn about bamboo, cob, earthbags and earth brick construction, and support our team on special projects around our Camp. This program will be special as it overlaps with our Introduction to Natural Building Course. You are welcome to join a few days of the course, but if you would like to attend the entire course, please fill out a Course Interest Form.

Of course, all of our volunteer programs include dinners at local family homes, visits to the nearby communities and opportunities to spend quality time with the amazing Nepali people that we love.

January will be cold (around 30F/0C at night), but we will stay warm by working hard all day, cooking delicious warm food, enjoying each other’s company around the fire and sleeping in big, soft sleeping bags. :)

We also have programs available in February and April. More details of these programs will come soon, but in the meantime feel free to fill out a volunteer form to let us know which dates interest you the most.

We are excited to have you visit our project in Nepal this year. Please sign up today, and invite your friends and family to come with you. See you soon!

20 Best Moments from 2020

2020 YEAR IN REVIEW

2020 was a year with a lot of challenges, difficulties, sadness and more. But it was also a year of strength, resilience, beauty, and hope. This blog is dedicated to sharing some of the best moments of 2020 for our organization.

#1.

COFFEE tasting & planting

Four years after planting coffee seeds in the community nursery, Takure farmers finally could taste their very own coffee. Harvest began after the COVID-19 lockdown, but our agriculture team got resourceful and learned some at-home roasting techniques so farmers could taste the "“fruits” of their hard work. It was a huge moment for farmers and for our team!

Pictured here is Goma Ama Kaphle (left) and Ambar Ranamagar, two very enthusiastic coffee growers. Goma Ama has planted 250 coffee trees in collaboration with Conscious Impact and Ambar has more than 150 coffee trees plus every other type of fruit tree we have distributed.

Look forward to these two’s coffee in years to come. Our team found hints of fig and caramel. 2020 was also our biggest year for planting coffee. In total our team planted 5400 coffee trees with more than 85 different farmers.

#2.

we completed the nest!

These beautiful, strong Nepali women helped us finish this amazing 8-room waddle and daub (bamboo woven and covered with cob - soil, sand and straw) building that will be offered to guests when they visit us. Although COVID-19 prevented more than 70% of our normal visitations, we are happy to have these earthen, rooms available when it is safe to travel and host again.

(From left to right: Ram Maya Ranamagar, Gyanu Tamang, Rabina Adhikari, and Rabina Ranamagar have worked on our natural building team for more than 4 years. They make earth bricks, know how to lay earth bags, and are the best earthen plasters we know.

#3. quarantined in rural nepal

Nepal went into nationwide lockdown in mid March 2020 to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it not only prevented visitors from joining our work but also kept 17 people from going on our March to the Mountains trip to Langtang National Park. While we didn’t get to go trekking, we used our quarantine time together in rural Nepal to work safely, have fun and ultimately find ways to support one another’s needs.

#4.

community forest planting day

In August 2020, we had our first ever community forest planting day. This is an activity we hope to continue each year with community forest user groups (CFUGs). Community Forest User Groups in Nepal are known for their unification and communal ownership of designated forested land with goals of supporting and benefiting both the managing community members and the forest itself.

We worked alongside two different community forest groups in August 2020. The Takure Community Forest Groups manages about 350 hectares of forested land beginning from the Takure Primary School and reaches to Dude and Bagawa communities. We planted 110 coffee trees under a perfect upper canopy spot in the forest below the Takure Primary School. Another six members from the Devi Taun Forest Group helped our team plant 150 Indian Gooseberry trees (known as Amala, a local medicinal tree) and 50 more native forest tree species.

#5.

BEAUTIFUL CLASSROOMS

Our Youth Program collaborated with Teach for Nepal fellows within Indrawati Gaunpalika to beautify classrooms by painting learning materials on walls and to also hold workshops with students. Two participating schools in Bhimtar and Bodgaun hosted volunteers for 3 days to paint and learn together.

The workshops conducted for secondary students included topics on gender discrimination and rights and STEAM design activities depending on each school’s request. We are super grateful for these participating schools and the leadership of Teach for Nepal within Nepal’s rural school system.

#6.

community homestay program

In collaboration with the local government, Indrawati Rural Municipality, we launched a Community Homestay Program. Visitors have the choice of different locations and stay durations during their time with us - it can include a 1-3 hour hike with lovely mountain views and most certainly includes delicious food and Nepali hospitality. The homestay experience allows families to showcase different aspects of their daily life and culture for visitors, creating a truly home-like experience.

Look forward to staying with local families your next visit to Nepal.

#7.

50 year old pizza

Throughout 2020, our oven baked a much smaller amount of pizza than normal since COVID-19 restrictions kept entering tourists from visiting Nepal, but the pizza we did bake included crust made from a 50 year old sourdough starter which traversed the globe thanks to our one and only Allen Gula.

We are always grateful for the simplicity of flour, yeast, water, and oil.

#8.

1000+ fruit trees

As most people know, we love planting trees and have planted our fair share of coffee trees. But we also plant many other types of fruit trees with local farmers. As coffee has preferential growing climate and terrain, not all local farmers have the ability to cultivate coffee successfully, especially those with north, Himalayan-facing land where the winter season temperatures gets quite cold. For these areas, we support the planting of all kinds stone fruit and nut trees including almonds, macadamia, walnut, low-chill apple, local plum and peach, timmur (relative of sichuan pepper), Japanese persimmon, pear and apricot.

1000 more fruit trees were planted in the communities surrounding Takure this past year. We look forward to many more years of planting fruit and nut trees and eating the future harvests with farmers.

#9.

OUR dome home

In August 2020, our beloved friend and employee, Umesh Bohara (also known as Joshua), moved into the Dome making it an official home! The Dome was built during our first ever 10 day superadobe training in November of 2019 and in 2020 we plastered, painted, and furnished it!

We look forward to more Domes at camp and more long-term, sustainable housing for short-term visitors and long-term staff.

#10.

student story writers

We collaborated with an amazing Nepali organization called Canopy Nepal to teach 20 secondary students how to write stories. Canopy Nepal facilitators led students through workshops on different parts of a story, adjectives and descriptive language and how to embrace their imagination! It was a wonderful workshop and local teachers reported to our Youth Team that afterwards many students continued to show their stories.

We hope to continue supporting local students in finding their voice and creative expression!

#11.

new rainwater catchment ponds

We partnered with 4 farmers last year to create rainwater catchment ponds for irrigating fruit trees and vegetables. This amazing technology was introduced to us in 2019 by Shree Krishna Dhital of Sanskriti Farms & Research Center. The training back in 2019 included 30 farmers eager to learn ways of irrigating their land for the 6+ month winter dry season in Nepal. Our volunteers and local staff joined the families of Muktinath Bhattarai, Damadar Khanal, Harkha Bahadur Tamang, and Madaph Koriala dig various pond sizes (16,000 liters, 18,000 liters and even 50,000 liters capacity). Then Conscious Impact supplied 70% of the plastic material cost to increase accessibility of this solution and helped each farmer install the plastic properly to ensure longevity.

Here Madaph and Sarita Koirala stand with their youngest son and their monsoon filled pond, excited to put it to use during the dry winter. Sanskriti Farms & Research Center also supplied us with water hyacinth to help farmers keep the pond water clean and cover the surface area to deter mosquito growth.

#12.

camp basketball court

During the COVID-19 nationwide lockdown, our “quarantine” team stayed busy with work and play! Our first ever basketball and volleyball courts were made by the one and only John Paula from northern California. Throughout April and May 2020, we played sports alongside community members also stuck in Takure during the lockdown. There was a lot of sun and sweat and good times!

Watch out for the Conscious Impact Sports Team soon!

#13.

first time blood donors

In November 2020, the local government Indrawati Rural Municipality held a blood donation drive to help meet the nation’s blood demands given COVID-19’s strain on the healthcare system. Many of our local staff members had never given blood before, so we ended the work day early and went together to all donate our blood. Our first time donors were surprised by the ease and painless experience of donating their blood, and we were all delighted by the post-donation snack made by the local bakery.

#14.

700+ plastic waste “bottle bricks”

Rural Nepal does not have waste management infrastructure so we are always looking for ways to get creative with waste, especially plastic waste. Back in 2017 thanks to our friend, volunteer and donor, Anne Goodman, we began taking our plastic waste produced at camp and stuffing it into plastic bottles. The plastic trash is stuffed such that the plastic bottle becomes hard like, similar to a glass bottle. We’ve used these bottles in benches and walls around camp and last year in the community.

The Community Bus Stop and Gathering Space was designed by extraordinary architect and our dear friend, Belkis Campos. This space holds more than 700 plastic bottles stuffed full of plastic waste picked up from around the village and stuffed by 25 short-term employed, local women.

#15. mu

shrooms for the school

Takure Primary School grew and sold their first oyster mushrooms in the pilot School-Based Mushroom Cultivation Project. This project was inspired by the school’s need for additional funds for a snack program which would feed primary students a snack mid-school day. In order to help the school raise independent revenue, the school-based mushroom program began. This was our first try and it hasn’t been easy with COVID-19 closures to the schools but the local teachers are very excited to continue the program.

#16.

coffee fruits (cherries)

Local farmers harvested coffee cherries from February to May 2020. This was the first harvest since planting coffee with us in 2017. Over the past 5 years, we have planted more than 15,000 coffee trees and it was an incredible joy to finally see the fruits of that labor. Takure coffee cherries are an exciting sign for farmers’ future income generation, plus we the taste!

In 2020, we processed 200 kilograms of coffee red cherry (~ 400 pounds). Each 1 kilogram of red cherry picked by farmers is bought by the local coffee cooperative group at 100 Nepali rupees per kilogram (~ 0.86 USD/kg). As it was the first year for harvest, the total amount of fruit was low, however in the next 2-3 years we expect for many more kilograms and rupees of coffee to be picked and earned.

#17.

more bricks moved!

The local Compressed Stabilized Earth Brick Production Team is still making earth blocks and distributing them to anyone interested in the region! We subsidize the cost of production so that these sustainable, locally produced materials can be accessible for local families, organizations, and institutions to use in construction, reducing the environmental costs of construction in our little corner of Nepal.

Here our team delivers another truckload of bricks to the Janaki Thapa Foundation Center. The Janaki Thapa Foundation is dedicated to social work in Badigaun, Sindhupalchok where they support the community with a children’s home, a private school, health workshops, and more. We are always grateful for the support of Janaki didi and her entire family of positive change-makers.

#18.

bird watching

Living in close proximity to nature, each year we have gotten to know the local birds (and other wildlife too)! This year thanks to photographer Jonathan H. Lee, we have documentation of our local bird friends, some rarer than others. Here is one of our favorites, the Verditer Flycatcher showing its beautiful feather structure (color) and that black eye shadow. Read more about its original appearance here.

#19.

hand woven goods

Corn husk mats are very common in local Nepali homes and this past year we partnered with local women to try and find market opportunities in Kathmandu. These mats, called “chakati” in Nepali, are great for seating, wall decor and even place mats. A group of local Tamang women made 25 beautiful chakati’s, different sizes and shapes and decor style, some even including plastic trash. We are still searching for greater market options this year and look forward to our visitors and guests being able to buy these.

#20.

staff hike day to katikke

Over monsoon season, our staff team took a day hike to the nearby village of Katikke where there is a beautiful homestay and apple and kiwi fruit farm, Biloba Organic Farm. This day gave local staff time away from their usual jobs to connect, learn and be together as a team. We played team building exercises, ate delicious high mountain potatoes with timmur archaar (a salsa-like dish made from a relative of Sichuan pepper), and then toured around the fruit farm to see the beautiful kiwi, apple and other fruit trees.

It was a fun and inspiring day for our team and we are grateful to our very generous hosts, Katikke Biloba team.

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We are super grateful to all of our donors and supporters for sticking with us through one of our hardest years yet and continuing to believe in the work we are doing. We are grateful to our local staff team for making the best of 2020. Looking forward to many more years together!

Photography by Jonathan H. Lee of SubtleDream, Ankit Tanu, and Joshua Umesh Bohara.

Dashain Festival Celebrations

One of the most beautiful aspects of living in a Nepali, rural community is the unique opportunity to not just witness but participate in the festival season celebrations of Dashain and Tihar. Dashain is the largest and most celebrated festival of the year for the Nepali Hindu community. Dashain serves as a homecoming for many in Nepal and the sense of family, belonging, and good-natured revelry is felt and shared by all.

The community of Takure opened their hearts and homes to us, a collection of 36 volunteers, mostly strangers to them, from all over the world during this most special and revered time of year. During the festival, we were repeatedly invited into the homes of different local families for traditional meals and blessings. These invitations are just another example of extraordinary Nepali hospitality as we were welcomed into the intimate setting of family celebrations.

Dashain is a 10-day celebration symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. The Goddess Durga and her many manifestations are worshipped for her defeat of the demon Mahishasura. The demon was terrorizing the world of the Gods and Goddesses and no one was able to eliminate Mahishasura until Durga entered a 9-day battle with the demon finally defeating Mahishasura on the 10th day.

There are different celebrations and rituals for the various days of Dashain beginning with the planting of barley seeds, called “jamara", inside each family home and kept out of the sunlight.

Another highlight of the festival period is the 8th day, Maha Asthami, when there are many animal sacrifices made to appease the Goddess Kali, one of Durga’s manifestations. Water buffalo, goats, and chickens are sacrificed at temples in every community and for many this is the one time of year that they will eat meat.

One of the most fun activities is the building of a traditional swing, called a Ping. Each community takes great pride in building the best and tallest swing out of local bamboo and rope. Pings can reach heights of 20 feet or more and are enjoyed by children and adults of all ages.

The 10th day, Vijaya Dashami, informally referred to as Tika Day, is the highlight of Dashain. On this day everyone dons their best dress and spirit. The women are often dressed in ornate red saris with red bangles adorning their arms and gold jewelry. Our volunteers, in small groups dressed to impress, spread out into this community in awe of the generosity and openness of the people here. We were offered the ritual of tika with Jamara, marigolds, and fruit upon the arrival at each home. It is a beyond beautiful experience to share such a sacred holiday with these families. The people of Takure are so generous with their homes, their food, and most touching – their spirit. It was remarked by a volunteer that these families were doing the equivalent of letting strangers into their homes for Christmas dinner. The magic of the season and generosity of this community was not lost on a single person. We were all touched by the celebrations, the love, the laughter, and the genuine sense of community shared by all.

Books for Bricks

“Books for Bricks”

By: Petey John Cunningham

Me, holding a poster we had made for the event.

A few weeks before I arrived in Nepal in December of 2015, I confess that doubt weighed heavily on my mind. I’m an international affairs student at Northeastern University in Boston, and much of my degree has been spent learning about international development. Despite my decision to volunteer, I’d heard countless examples of irresponsible or exploitative development practices and feared that those practices, or worse, awaited me in Takure.

"I was relieved and grateful to find an organization as responsible, caring and hard-working as Conscious Impact proved to be."

Sale day, with my Nepali friend Raj manning the booth!

The ten days I spent with the Conscious Impact team tore those fears from my mind, root and stem.... I was relieved and grateful to find an organization as responsible, caring and hard-working as Conscious Impact proved to be. Upon my return to Boston in the fall of 2016 after a semester studying in London, I decided that I wanted to raise funds for this cause and organization that to this day remains so close to my heart.

My Momma, helping to sort and organize books!

During my time in London, I attended a $1 used book fundraiser hosted by Amnesty International. I decided to bring the idea back to Boston and host my own series of book sales within the Northeastern community, on behalf of Conscious Impact. This approach heartily appealed to me because it creates value for both the giver and the receiver, donors get wonderful new reading material, and the people of Takure get the funds they need to rebuild.

Conscious Impact’s official Sales Associates!

I sent emails to bookstores, libraries, professors, family and friends, soliciting book donations from as many sources as I could imagine; I parted with much of my own personal library. At one point, over 800 books sat in my Mom’s living room; you can imagine how appreciative she was of the clutter! I used my connections with two groups on campus, the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) and the NU Buddhist Group, to have the sales officially sanctioned by the university and, in October, I held my first sale. With friends and family staffing the tables, and speakers blaring our favorite music, the “Books for Bricks” vibe was more ‘party’ than ‘bookstore’!

Northeastern’s mascot Paws striking a pose!

The fundraiser cost me no more than time, and the gas I used driving my mom’s little red Chevy to transport boxes, first from the donors to my home, and then from my home to the sale sites. Each book cost only $1, but customers were, of course, encouraged to donate extra if the urge struck them. Often enough, they generously left me their change, or an extra dollar or two. All in all, the sales raised $1573.87.

I have to take a moment to thank all those who helped: my fantastic friends, my many book donors, and my incomparable mother. Their assistance made all the difference.

Inspiration Through Connection: Renee's Story

My arrival to Conscious Impact was on a whim, but my arrival to Nepal was not. I had been planning to come to Nepal for over a year, with a desire to further my passion for the environment and in organic farming by volunteering. Many of my closest friends were caught in the 2015 earthquake and were lucky to survive without injury. Through their experience, not only of the earthquake but of the incredible time they had exploring this country beforehand, I was inspired early on to come to the mountains.

"I was inspired early on to come to the mountains."

I started my journey by attending a two week Permaculture Design Course (PDC) at Hasera Farm outside Kathmandu. I attended the course to gain more knowledge before volunteering and to learn about Nepali culture and family life through a homestay.  After this, I purposely had no plans. And lucky I did not, because there I met three members from Conscious Impact, including Narayan Mama, one of the local Nepali staff. By the end of the course I decided “Sure, why not?”, and followed them back to Takure to see what kind of work they were doing.

It was clear to me after only a few days I was not ready to leave the Conscious Impact Camp anytime soon. Our Nepali staff are so integrated into the projects, and actively participate in decision making. One of the first projects I worked on was helping create an Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) survey. The survey intended to continue discussions with the local community to ascertain existing strengths in order to create connections for new opportunities. At home in Australia, I have always been interested in indigenous issues and know the difficulties of fast paced, disconnected development models. I connect strongly with Conscious Impact's long-term, community focused, and driven style of development.

These days I am heavily involved in the Agriculture Team. Among other projects, I am most passionate about the local run coffee co-op we are helping to establish in Takure. I am interested in reforestry and land regeneration, which is a very big and concerning issue in Nepal. This project highlighted to me the complexities of trying to regenerate the land while creating sustainable livlihoods for the local community at the same time. The co-op model will provide farmers with an alternative, long term and stable source of income, while reforesting the land at the same time.

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"I am grateful every day for each person here, Nepali and foreigner, who holds space for me."

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This work is often difficult and challenging, but living in community gives us all the much needed support to stay balanced when living and working rurally in a foreign country. I have felt my heart open so much, less focused on the “I” and more on the “We”. From daily yoga practice, to sharing chores, to gratitude reflection before dinner, every act is done with intention, and as a reflection of our collective gratitude for this space and for each other. I am grateful every day for each person here, Nepali and foreigner, who holds space for me.

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