Time has moved on, our children have become older and we are looking toward their futures. For the last few years we have been anxious to develop a Bio Project, to help provide electricity, food and milk for the children to help sustain their healthy appetites, but despite our best efforts it proved impossible to find sufficient land close to the hostel at a sensible price.
But now, we have located plenty of land at a fair price, albeit outside Pokhara, in Tanahau. The land is on a kot (view point) as pictured here with the sun shining down on it. Because of its location, we can grow fruits and vegetables on all four sides of the hill, according do the climatic conditions required by each crop.
We have already introduced some goats and chickens and we aim to grow herbs and sunflowers, enabling us to produce our own oil, which has recently risen very dramatically in cost, as have so many food products in Nepal and indeed throughout the world.
We are currently in the process of transferring our hostel children from Pokhara to Tanahau, where, apart from their school studies, they will be able to learn a great deal about sustainable, eco-friendly farming methods.
Our long-term aim is that if we produce more food than is needed to feed our children, some of it can be given to elderly folk in the community who are in need of assistance, in fact we have already been able to do this. Any surplus will be sold and the profits ploughed back into the hostel so we hope that within 2 or 3 years we can be self-sustainable.
It is also good that a Government Health Post is located less than one kilometre away, which is very reassuring should any of the children be taken ill.
Many of the photos below were taken as the project was nearing completion. More recent photos will be posted when available.
