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Kick start needed for charity project in Nepal
In Nepal an exciting and vital community-based scheme needs a final push to ensure its success. The Hariyo Chowk Sustainability Project being run in Kathmandu has been bringing together the local community for several months, and with their help is redeveloping a disused space into a vibrant urban green space.
The Sattya Media Arts Collective is a network for all creative disciplines in Nepal that set up the Hariyo Chowk project in an attempt to combat the urbanisation of Kathmandu, a city that until recently had a strong tradition of urban farming. The levels of urban green space are rapidly declining and Sattya, in collaboration with CATALIST (a sustainable community development group) are aiming to provide an urban garden with community art spaces.
The project will be built by volunteers and the local community, only using recycled or locally-sourced natural materials. Many sustainable features will be explored such as rain water harvesting and the implementation of compost production.
As well as providing agricultural and green space, the redevelopment hopes to start a forum for people to teach and learn from others. They hope to help promote farming techniques, sustainable building systems and creative activities. The potential applications of what can be taught here and what can be achieved through simple community-based initiatives will help to improve the lives of the people who use, participate and engage with the Hariyo Chowk space.
The Hariyo Chowk team are trying to adapt the way Kathmandu is rapidly changing and already the scheme has been welcomed with a response to the programme that has been ‘overwhelmingly positive.’ Despite the huge community effort and successful fundraising the project still needs help. There has already been over $7,000 raised which has really helped to drive the project, however the team still need to reach the goal of $9,000 in order to finish. If this money is not raised by 6 May 2012 then they have to forfeit everything they have raised so far.
If you would like to help donate to the Hariyo Chowk project then please visit Kickstarter and help to support architectural schemes like this that make a difference to people’s lives.
Matthew Goodwill
Editorial
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