Tag: Environment

Killer in the Kitchen

Madhav P. Bhatta, Professor of Epidemiology and Global Health at Kent State University in the USA, was born and raised in a rural mountain village in Baitadi district in far western Nepal. Madhav Bhatta received his Master of Public Health (Epidemiology and Global Health) from the University of Pennsylvania and earned his PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA. Why open fire should stay outside When our immediate neighbors light their backyard wood burning firepit to enjoy cool Ohio autumn evenings with a sip of wine and good company, I sequester myself...

Good and cheap solution – the clay oven

In some areas of Chitwan, many families only settled down a few generations ago. Before that they lived as hunters and gatherers in the forests that now form the ‘Chitwan National Park’. With the opening of the national park in 1973, families had to give way and get used to a new lifestyle in the hills outside the park. They have always used open wood fires for cooking and have continued to do so to this day, as other fuels such as gas or kerosene are unaffordable. The women, because collecting wood is women’s work, often have to walk long distances in order to carry the...

Solar lighting systems for 520 households

The night grows lighter in Gamtha In March 2017 we reported on the delivery and installation of solar lighting systems for over 500 families in Gamtha, Mugu. From the beginning of our activities in Mugu, we have also focused on ecological and clean energy sources in our on-site projects. In addition to our smoke-free stoves, which gradually replaced the usual open fire – with the resulting toxic smoke development – in the houses, we also opted for simple but very effective solar light systems. Resource protection in the barren mountains of Mugu is not only a practical side...

Protecting the environment through the hands of children: interacting child clubs

Sometimes the youth clubs we have initiated in our project schools exchange ideas or meet for sports competitions. The best ideas can come from this. Ideas become more when they are shared After a visit to Piple, Chitwan, southern Nepal, the girls and boys from the neighboring Thakaltar were deeply impressed. The village of Piple and its paths were so much cleaner than theirs! So one child club sat down with the other. The people from Piple presented their solutions for a clean village. And the youth from Thakaltar asked a lot of questions. Back in Thakaltar, the plan was quickly established....

Cook cleanly with sunlight

Innovation with a great effect for people and nature: solar cookers and solar water heaters In rural Nepal, it is common to use firewood for cooking. The open hearth is usually in the middle of the room where the family lives, cooks and sleeps. In the evening the smoky wood is burned to have light. It also serves as a heating source. It is estimated that a family consumes between 30-40 kg of firewood per day. The wood is usually collected by women, who often have to walk several hours a day, depending on how far away the nearest forest is. Back to Life has been providing clean energy for...

For people and nature

The people in rural Mugu are predominantly smallholders who practice extensive agriculture (low capital and labor input in relation to the area). The soils in Mugu are not very fertile, and the farmers’ harvests are not particularly productive. The people there are both producers and consumers of the crops they grow, but the harvests are usually not enough to adequately feed the families. FRUIT TREES AS FUTURE SOURCE OF INCOME I 2019 we asked the farmers in our project villages Jiuka, Hyanglu and Nakharji about their situation and how they can be helped to stand safely on their own two...

Micro hydropower plant – light and future for a village

When night came, our project village Thakaltar in Chitwan (southern Nepal) was in the dark. Wood fires or kerosene lamps only shone sporadically for people. Five hours’ walk from the next major street and the local markets, the residents decided to take their fate into their own hands. 187 households saved a total of 60,000 rupees (around 460 euros) over two years and built their own small hydroelectric power station with a small subsidy from the state, which generated energy for a maximum of one to four lamps per house. The joy lasted only a few months, then the monsoons came. The rains...

Biogas – active environmental protection that improves life

Improving life with environmental protection. If cooking areas are operated with biogas systems, the surrounding forest is also protected. In addition to many other things, the health of the residents also benefits. Open fires in the houses were part of everyday life in our project areas. Not only do people in the smoky rooms cause lasting damage to their health, terrible accidents also happen and the fire can develop into a dangerous fire. Cooking areas that run on biogas are a perfect alternative for villages with sufficient livestock farming. The technology is basically quite simple:...