Farm-orphanage in Tathali
Objectives
In response to the increasing number of orphans and abandoned children that the civil war and poverty have produced, Kam For Sud has decided to build a structure for parentless children in Kathmandu valley. The main objective is to offer one hundred of the most underprivileged children a stable life environment, a healthy affective context, access to school, and general accompaniment until they come of age or become independent. As we also wish to establish a family atmosphere, the construction of several houses has been planned, each of which will be managed by a Nepalese couple acting as parents, and each of which will welcome approximatively 20 children. Ultimately, five houses of this type are planned. A rural environment was chosen so that the land nearby may be used for organic farming (agriculture and livestock)
Building site
A 10’000 square meters plot of land was acquired in 2006, situated 3km east from Bhakatpur. The site is very accessible and located in a magnificent environment. It includes a hill with a large cultivatable area in terraces, a small wood, and direct access to a stream. There are a few villages and a primary school in the surroundings, while hospitals, shops of all kinds, secondary and superior schools are all available in Bhaktapur.
Architectural project
Inspired by the traditional style, the project plans to build the houses at the top of the hill, thus allowing for optimal cultivation of the surrounding land. The construction of the buildings is planned in two phases, starting with the first three houses and the cattle shed. The second step will be to build two more family-houses, a staff residence, a library, a small guest house, and a handicraft workshop.
The architectural concept was elaborated in collaboration with an architects’ office in Katmandu, and the construction started in 2008. The architectural style of the buildings is inspired by the traditional one, but respects specific needs to guarantee a minimum level of comfort.
The projects guidelines are :
- Ecological building (model for Kathmandu valley)
- Structural security (resistance to earthquakes)
- Comfort and savings (no unnecessary luxury, but good quality of spaces and building)
- Sustainability and easy maintenance
- Integration in the local context (built land, natural environment and socio-cultural context)
2009 – Results of phase I
On November 1st 2009, the three first residential houses of the farm-orphanage in Thatali were inaugurated, with the surrounding land already productive thanks to Ram and Deepak’s hard work and passion. In the autumn of 2009, ten first children began a new life in Thatali, leaving behind a sad or difficult past, sometimes even a dramatic one. Goma, Sameer, Sandesh, Sunil, Sujan, Sujina, Sagar, Sunil, Srijana, and Milan now have a new family where they receive affection, education, and care, all of them progressively rediscovering serenity and joy of living.
A singular effort was put into building an ecologically balanced structure, hence enabling –for the first time in Nepal– the construction of a complex where techniques and knowledge converge, most of which already existed in the country, but that had never been assembled into a unique global concept. In summary: use of bricks and building materials with a low environmental impact, collection of rainwater in an underground tank for purposes of irrigation during the dry season, purification of waste water by reed-bed using Phragmites australis (common reed) with subsequent use of the obtained water for irrigation, production of biogas from solid organic waste, use of solar ovens, production of photovoltaic electricity for purposes of lightning and water pumping, and use of direct solar energy for production of sanitary hot water.
Each house is built according to the following plan : a kitchen, a dining room, a playing room, an office, and toilets on the ground floor, two 8-bed bedrooms, a bathroom with showers, and a double room on the first floor, one 8-bed bedroom, a bathroom with showers, and a room/infirmary on the second floor, a spare room, a laundry room, and an area to dry clothes under the roof.
