Melamchigaun
CAN built the secondary school. It also provided the roof for the community funded Health Clinic and improved the water supply. CAN is now in the process of building the school Hostel.
CAN operates a local Health Clinic run by the nurses based at the Milarepa Health Post. It also provides health education, a worming programme and first aid training. It has been agreed to base a nurse permanently at Melamchigaun from September 2008.
CAN has helped extend the kitchen garden, developed fruit cultivation, goat raising and vegetable cultivation programmes. It has also provided the community with group formation and mobilisation support.
CAN funds two teachers, teaching materials, musical instruments, training in the use of these instruments and library books.
CAN supported the purchase of cultural musical instruments and training for the school. CAN has also help refurbish the Gompa and also the Community Centre the nearby Nukote village.
West Yorkshire Scouts
A group of Scout leaders from West Yorkshire Scouts have been fundraising for over 12 months to raise the money the build a new 5 roomed much needed hostel, for those children who attend the school, and who cannot travel home every night. Not only have this group of 31 adults raised the money, they also travelled out to Melamchigaun to work alongside the village community to build as much of the hostel as they could in 2 weeks.
The group trekked out to the village and camped for over 2 weeks on a campsite just below the school and hostel building site. The trek was very well supported by the trekking staff of Community Action Treks.
On arrival at the village they found that the layout of the building had been prepared by the community, with the foundations dug and the footprint of the hostel built up to damp proof course.
The women of the community had spent weeks bringing down vast quantities of stone from the 'quarry' high on the hillside.
Most days the scout group were joined by members of the community and the work force was divided into stone sorters and movers, wood workers, mud mixers (mud being used locally rather than mortar) and stone layers.
.jpg)
The group were also joined by a number of local stone masons who amazed them with the speed and skill with which they dressed the stone ready for building.
Each day soon developed a rhythm of its own - and the entire scout group particularly enjoyed working alongside the villagers and many friendships were formed.
.jpg)
There was ample opportunity for social interaction with the people from the village – and the children enjoyed games at the campsite.
There was also a local festival in the Gompa and the scouts were invited to join in the singing and dancing at the monastery.
.jpg)
The scouts succeeded in building the hostel up to wall plate height – leaving the village construction committee to use their particular skills to erect the roof which will incorporate some intricate carving typical of buildings of this region.
There was an emotional farewell ceremony attended by most of the village community – including a number of the school children, despite the fact that they were still on their autumn break for Tihar.
A second visit was paid to the village 10 days after the scouts departure – this time by a group of trekkers on a fundraising trek – all of whom are raising money for CAN. They arrived in the village to another very warm welcome from the community and to be greeted by the sight of the hostel with the walls completed and with a new green roof in place.
