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Bank Account
On 1-1-2009 Postbank will be integrated in ING. Consequently the IBAN and BIC of our account will change by that date.
New IBAN: NL30INGB0003269253.
New BIC: INGBNL2A.

Mathbir Tamang
Mathbir Tamang - born for bad luck?
Mathbir is 8 years and one of the 16 children at the Jana Jyoti Primary school in Duble, which we give a contribution to the costs of school supplies.
He has very bad eyes. And now Kama Dawa told me that Mathbir recently has been diagnosed with an incurable form of cancer.

Furi Sherpa
My last visit to Nepal in November/December, appeared to lack a few days, but who would not like to be back home before the holidays. I missed the opportunity to talk more with Furi. We must recognize that it is not possible for him to pass the exams at HIMS. Hard to accept, but it is a fact. He, and his father, of course, will need to start searching for a school that focus on practical training. In Nepal this is called a vocational school. We are prepared to help him in this direction.

Yangyi Sherpa

I could tell Kame that we are also prepared to sponsor Yangyi to attend HIMS. She will have a much better start than Phuri. She can start in the first nursery class.

Solar and stoves
During the hike in Helambu I was keen to inspect the solar panels we saw. Especially the smaller ones, because I feel that the proposed 21 Watt panel(see the contribution of September 24) is perhaps too small. For how many hours of light do you collect energy, on a cloudy day? At one place we were lucky to interview the owner of such a small solar kit. He was happy with it. Even on cloudy days, he had enough light. Kame noted all the information needed to contact the supplier in Kathmandu.

Further, I saw an electricity distribution network in which for the backbone ABC cable was used. So, this cable, (ABC=Aerial Bundle Conductor) can now be bought in Nepal. The alternative was ACSR-cable (ACSR=Aluminium Conductor Steel Reinforced) and a distribution system with this ACSR-cable is much more expensive.

What I also noticed was that many people used iron stoves with stove pipes. In the Mountain View Lodge, in Sermathang, I heard how much the owner had paid for his stove. Hearing that price, Rs. 5000,- I thought "that price can never be the main cause of the fact that people in Duble still sit in the smoke - they really are not convinced that it is worth to break an old habit". Normally you loose such a deadlock by education. However, I could not resist the temptation to speed-up the learning process. You can call it a non-conventional use of solar energy. I decided to make a package of the 21 Watt solar panel and a smokeless stove. Anyone who receives such a package must promise to use the stove for at least 3 months. If, after that time, he still do not like the stove he must give it back to Dublelee Milijuli Samuha. Which can then give it to someone else who likes the benefits of the stove.

For the record. The advantages of the stove are:
1) no or very little smoke in the room, used as kitchen and
2) half the wood needed, making the jungle lasting longer.

Back in Kathmandu, we had a day devoted to the visit of two solar companies. Lasersunenergy PVT Ltd ( http://www.lasersunenergy.com), the firm of the first quotation, had the best offer:
- The price went down to Rs. 13.000,-
- The solar panel is guaranteed for 25 years
- The battery has a capacity of 45 Ah and is a solar "deep cycle" lead-acid battery
- The battery is garanteed for 2 years
- The charge controller has built in all the safeguards
- They sell, for Rs. 4.200,-, an improved version of the solar tuki (more power, maintenance free lead-acid battery and two nice hanging lamps).

At the shopping for the stove, I took part only half a day, because otherwise I would have missed my plane. We had an offer of Rs. 7.150,-. Later, Kame found a blacksmith, who offered to make the stove for Rs. 6.000,-.

We have been talking a lot about the question 'who gets what' and I hope that we came to an acceptable decision.
First are the households where the 16 sponsored children live. Is the house in Duble than they get a kit with the 21 watt panel and a stove. If the house is outside Duble than they get a solar tuki.
Then the rest of the budget is spent on combinations of a solar kit with the 21 watt solar panel and a smokeless stove. Eligible are households in Duble, with children at the Jana Jyoti Primary school in order of the number of schoolchildren from the same household. The person with the most children in that school is the first to receive a kit. The rest will have to wait until there is money or another sponsor is found.

Our budget is 3.200,- Euro. The dispatch to Nepal converted it to Rs. 339.904,-. An order is placed for 10 solar tuki's, 14 solar kits, based on the 21 Watt solar panel and 13 smokeless stoves. It might be possible that a 14th stove can be bought. That depends largely on the still unknown costs for transport. The stuff must be transported by truck to one of the possible points at which porters must provide for further transport. I also think that the Nepali, who have worked on this project, should be able to submit their expenses.

Maybe we brought you an idea.
There are more than 20 households in Duble, now getting nothing.
For 42 Euro, you can give a solar tuki, for 60 Euro a stove having the smoke outlet to the outside and for 130 Euro you can give a solar set with a 21 Watt panel.

(Ton van der Kop)