BACKGROUND
Typically, projects in developed countries require a start and an end, along with specific dates. In Nepal, specifically, a developing country, nothing truly has a definitive beginning, and even less so an end, as everything is in a constant state of evolution and construction.
October 2016 served as a trial. I wanted to observe how that village reacted to someone who wanted to help them. The initial idea was to build a small room with two showers: one for boys and one for girls. Ultimately, a two-story building was constructed. On the ground floor, there are showers for men and women, and a room with a washing machine. On the first floor, there is a meeting room and, to my surprise, they made a room for me so that I could have my own quarters when I visited. Solar panels were installed in an annex, the structure was adapted for housing, and the first shop-bar was opened, providing essential goods for the village.
Subsequently, in 2017, leveraging their eagerness to progress, we had a 20 kW electric generator brought in. And an electricity meter was installed in every house in the village. Internet and Wi-Fi were also made available.
In 2018, it was already accessible by road, and we were able to install the washing machine and hire a permanent English teacher for the village.
By May 2019, all of this was operational: electricity with a meter in every house, Internet, the building with showers, solar panels, the small shop with first aid supplies, and the washing machine. In June 2019, construction began on a climbing wall, which we inaugurated in December 2019. And in June 2020, construction began on a piped network for the supply of running water to every house. On January 6, 2021, I was informed that this project had been completed, providing running water to 110 houses.
They have no fixed timeline for starting or finishing. It’s a bistari-bistari, which in Catalan means ‘little by little’. They decide when they start and when they finish. If there are monsoons, they don’t go, and when the sun rises, they stay until sunset. Everyone gets involved, and it’s not always the same people. They switch shifts, and if someone cannot go, they inform a neighbor in case they want to go instead. It’s a way of life very different from ours. They are very grateful in all aspects.
Ultimately, everything concludes when the last stone is laid.