Creating SMILES - building the Nation

Pilot Phase II

2011-12-22T08:49:00.000-08:00

Background

SMILES is a rural based project managed. The main objective of SMILES is to introduce and implement the combination of technology and socio-economical interventions that may lead to an increased living standard for the people in the rural villages of Nepal. It is a pleasure to let you know that SMILES has been selected to be featured once again at the Clinton Global Initiative University Annual General Meeting, 2011.

The Pilot Phase I of SMILES was launched in September 2009. Though a small budget, it was a landmark in the field of energy development and sanitation. 40 watts solar panels were installed in two different schools and a toilet was built in the remote village, Kalimati, Sindhuli District, Nepal. It has given us profound results. Specially, the weak students who are residing around the school utilize their leisure evening time (after their day of schooling and household job) for tutoring in the classroom, under the bright light we donated. The adult literacy classes at night will also be using it. The single toilet that we built is assisting three households. The areas that were seen filled with stools some months ago are now turning grassy green and fresh. This change has obviously left other villagers thoughtful, calculating on the difference in having a toilet. Similarly, with the whole lot of possibilities of the development in this rural part of the country because of the project Creating SMILES - building the Nation, people have become more positive toward the new opportunities that can come to their lives in the forms of social, economic and personal development. This can also be seen in the increased number of school enrollment. With this positive and inspiring feedback, we wished to move to next phase. This was called Pilot Phase II and it was launched during June, 2010. In this phase, we have focused on computers, computer education, health and sanitation, school infrastructure development and solar electrification. We wanted to provide the schools with computer labs and computers and then we wanted to increase the number of available toilets.

In Detail

The computer education program has now been initiated in two different schools, Binayak School of Kalimati and Chilaunekharka School of Chilaunedada. Both of the schools were each supplied with a 40 watt solar panel during the Pilot Phase I. Since the number of students had increased in these schools after we launched our project in this most rural part of the country we had another thing to worry about before we began our second pilot phase and that was the availability of the enough classrooms for the students. Both of these schools were running under bad financial conditions and it was impossible to build the needed classrooms by the school

SMILES’ Computer Labs

administrations themselves. So, before we moved onto establishing the computer labs, we decided to construct a classroom in each of these schools. With the funding provided from our well-wishers in Sweden, we were able to construct two classrooms measuring 5*4 m2, by the end of October, 2010.

Each school room was constructed with Nepali rupees 40,000 (app. $ 550), about one third of the amount government would spend on same work. Monetary funding was matched by the free physical labor and the support that was provided by the excited villagers. People left their household and farm works and participated in this phase. When asked what led them to work so enthusiastically people were telling us that they have already seen enough hardships of illiteracy and so they wanted their children and grandchildren to get the education and that is why they were ready to do anything that was needed for the completion of the pilot phase II and SMILES itself.

A computer lab has now been constructed in each of the schools at a cost of NRs 140,000 (little less than $2000). Each school has two desktop computers with 15.6” LCD monitors consuming less energy, and four 40 watt solar panels to run the computers. With the use of solar power we have been successful to develop these two schools as the mini energy centers with 200 watts of power available in each schools in the area where people have never seen electric lamps

People excited and interested about the new computer labs

One of the most important results of the second pilot phase has been the creation of two jobs as the computer instructors. We have chosen two unemployed local villagers to work as the computer teachers. We have given them the basic computer training and they are assigned to spread the gained knowledge to colleagues, students and villagers. Nominal fees collected from the users will be given to these teachers as their salary and we believe that this has given us an insight on the ways to reduce the poverty in one of the poorest countries.

The school teachers, students and the villagers are now being given the basic computer courses by these two computer teachers. The estimated number of users of the computer facility is estimated to be about 400.

With the enormous positive results that we got from the construction of just a single toilet we were intrigued about the idea of increasing the number of public toilets. With this objective, we have built three toilets in Kalimati village which is currently being used by 12 families.

Construction of toilets during the second pilot phase

Moreover, we are sponsoring two students from poor background to study in the major cities of Nepal. Madhav Karki is pursuing his higher secondary education in Pokhara and Sujan Chaulagain has been admitted to a private school in Kathmandu for the primary education after the untimely demise of his father in a heart shattering accident.

Pilot Phase II which has been completed by the month of December, 2010 has paved our way for our immediate next phase in which we want to set up a wireless communication infrastructure. Wireless technologies will provide internet, VoIP and telemedicine facility. It will solve problems in the areas of education, health and communication. It will be an effective tool for the social development. Using this technology, the village will be connected to the global communication nexus. The unheard voices will be made heard. Moreover, e- commerce will be used to increase the earning of the local people.

Mini Energy Centers

www.thenationsmiles.org

2011-12-21T11:09:00.000-08:00

Finally, the new website for Creating SMILES - building the Nation (www.thenationsmiles.org) is on the way. It is still under construction but we will be there....soon!!!!!! And don't forget to check my blog there: santosh.thenationsmiles.org. Thank you for your support!!!!!

SMILES: Impact Assessment

2011-10-13T07:25:00.000-07:00

Currently we are working in two villages in Sindhuli district ofcentral Nepal which are being developed as the pilot villages. We have tried toquantify our impact in very specific way.

We have been able to set up 2 mini energycenters in two different villages which are producing 480 watts of energy.These energy centers run 2 computer labs with total of 8 computers. Thesecenters are also able to fully electrify 2 local schools each in differentvillages. Our next plan is to produce a kilowatt of electricity in our energycenters and distribute rechargeable lamps in the villages.

Last year, we were able to build 4 publictoilets on our own and 6 were built because of the awareness that has grown inthe villagers in recent times. 5 more toilets are to be built by us in the verynear future.

School in Kalimati village saw its student number increase by 40and reach 130 and school in Chilaunekharka village increased its student numberby 20 to reach 80. To accommodate the growing number of students 2 classroomshas been built. As the villagers had never seen a computer in their lifetime itwas a source of motivation for the parents to send their children to schools.Computer classes are run for the students, teachers and local villagers. Thecomputer literacy rate which was almost 0% has now increased up to 10%. Thesecomputer labs have created 2 jobs. In the meantime, we have been able tosponsor three students. Madhav Karki has joined Bachelor of Engineering inCivil. Likewise, Ms. Sabita Chaulagain has started her high school and SujanChaulagain is currently studying in grade 3 in a boarding school in Kathmandu.

More than 10 people were employed for a fortnight either full timeor part time while the classrooms were being built. One of our influences tothe villagers is the construction of a wide local road in Kalimati villagewhere most of the villagers helped with funding as much as they could andprovided their voluntary labor. 5 skilled workers were hired for a week.

We strictly adhere to the use of green energy for the purpose ofrural electrification. We have chosen solar power for electrification to reducethe use of traditional kerosene lamps and fire woods which will reduce theemissions of CO₂.

SMILES: Vision and Mission

2011-09-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

MISSION: To bring uponthe socio-economic development in the rural parts of Nepal, combining science,engineering and technology with social and economic interventions of humanlives which is sustainable socially, economically and environmentally.

VISION: SMILES’ vision is to usedynamic solutions and multiple pathways to tackle the adaptive problems thatare hurdles for social and economic development. We want to work together withthe local people, gathering up their knowledge of local environment and needs;to build self-esteem and hope for a better future.

Vote For SMILES!!!

2010-02-28T13:51:00.001-08:00

Creating SMILES - building the Nation (SMILES) is a youth initiative based on the conclusion that using engineering and technology in an environmental friendly way can create the prerequisites needed for the development of education and health care in the rural villages. These will lead to an increased number of job opportunities and sustainable village life. Opportunities to start various community development projects may rise. These will open up a variety of chances for substantial and sustainable incomes and community entrepreneurship. Thus, the combination of technology and socio-economic interventions will lead to an increased living standard for the people in the rural villages. In Nepal where more than 80% of the people live in rural areas and out of them 42% still live under acute poverty line, it will provide the villagers with information, education and health care along with an enhanced employment market. SMILES is run by an NGO Help Himalaya (http://www.helphimalaya.org.np/ ).

It is a matter of pride for all of us that Creating SMILES – building the nation has recently been selected to be featured at the Clinton Global Initiative University Annual General Meeting 2010, April 16-18, University of Miami, Florida. This event is being jointly organized by 42^nd US President Bill Clinton and the University of Miami.

Recently we have entered into the Dell Social Innovation competition 2010, organized by the University of Texas and Dell Inc. The competition is looking for the students with ground breaking idea in mind from around the world who want to improve areas of critical human need through innovation. From all the entries, the judges from the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas select up to 50 semifinalist entries to move to the second round of competition. Also, the 10 ideas with the most votes move forward as semifinalists.

Voting Ends– March 4, 23:00 UTC ( Coordinated Universal Time, also known as GMT)

Semifinalists Announced – March 5

So we would like to request you for your support in our participation in one of the most prestigious competitions.

To vote for the project Creating SMILES- building the nation, please follow the instructions:

Step I: Follow this link: http://www.dellsocialinnovationcompetition.com/

Step II: Click "Register Now" and create an account with a username, password and a mailing id.

Step III: After your account has been created you can search for the project Creating SMILES – building the nation in the customized search box at the top right part of the site.

Step IV: After searching the project, you can vote for us by clicking at the promote button at the left side of the project description.

Step V: Do not forget to forward this message to all of your acquaintances.

It will just take you a few seconds.

Happy Voting!!!!!!!!!!

Help us spread the words about SMILES. You can update your Status on the social networking sites as "I am voting for a Nepalese youth initiative Creating SMILES – building the nation in the Dell Social Innovation Competition 2010. Are you?". Don't forget to attach the link http://sntshpdl.blogspot.com/2010/02/vote-for-smiles_28.html.

Join us at Facebook. Search for the group Creating SMILES – building the nation.

Thanking You,

With best regards

Santosh Poudel

Founder and Team Leader

SMILES

Vote for SMILES!!!!!

2010-02-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

Creating SMILES - building the Nation (SMILES) is a youth initiative based on the conclusion that using engineering and technology in an environmental friendly way can create the prerequisites needed for the development of education and health care in the rural villages. These will lead to an increased number of job opportunities and sustainable village life. Opportunities to start various community development projects may rise. These will open up a variety of chances for substantial and sustainable incomes and community entrepreneurship. Thus, the combination of technology and socio-economic interventions will lead to an increased living standard for the people in the rural villages. In Nepal where more than 80% of the people live in rural areas and out of them 42% still live under acute poverty line, it will provide the villagers with information, education and health care along with an enhanced employment market. SMILES is run by an NGO Help Himalaya (http://www.helphimalaya.org.np/ ).

It is a matter of pride for all of us that Creating SMILES – building the nation has been recently selected to be featured at the Clinton Global Initiative University Annual General Meeting 2010, April 16-18, University of Miami, Florida. This event is being jointly organized by 42^nd US President Bill Clinton and the University of Miami.

Recently we have entered into Dell Social Innovation competition 2010 organized by the University of Texas and Dell Inc. The competition is looking for college students with ground breaking idea in mind from around the world who want to improve areas of critical human need through innovation. From all the entries, the judges from the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service in the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas select up to 50 semifinalist entries to move to the second round of competition. Also, the 10 ideas with the most votes move forward as semifinalists.

Voting Ends– March 4, 23:00 UTC

Semifinalists Announced – March 5

So we would like to request you for your support in our participation in one of the prestigious competitions.

To vote for the project Creating SMILES- building the nation, please follow the instructions:

Step I: Follow this link: http://www.dellsocialinnovationcompetition.com/

Step II: Click "Register Now" and create an account with a username, password and a mailing id.

Step III: After your account has been created you can search for the project Creating SMILES – building the nation in the customized search box at the top right part of the site.

Step IV: After searching the project, you can vote for us by clicking at the promote button at the left side of the project description.

Step V: Do not forget to forward this message to all of your acquaintances.

It will just take you a few seconds.

Happy Voting!!!!!!!!!!

Help us spread the words SMILES. You can update your Status on the social networking sites as "I am voting for a Nepalese youth Initiative Creating SMILES – building the nation in the Dell Social Innovation Competition 2010. Are you?" Don't forget to attach the link http://sntshpdl.blogspot.com/2010/02/vote-for-smiles.html.

Join us at Facebook. Search for the group Creating SMILES – building the nation.

Thanking You,

With best regards

Santosh Poudel

Founder and Team Leader

SMILES

Immediate next Phase Work: Pilot Phase II

2010-02-28T10:46:00.000-08:00

Background

SMILES is a rural based project managed by an NGO called Help Himalaya (http://www.helphimalaya.org.np/). The main objective of SMILES is to introduce and implement the combination of technology and socio-economical interventions that may lead to an increased living standard for the people in the rural villages of Nepal. It is a pleasure to let you know that SMILES has been selected to be featured at the Clinton Global Initiative University Annual General Meeting, 2010.

The pilot phase of SMILES was launched in September 2009. Though a small budget, it was a landmark in the field of energy development and sanitation. 40 watts solar panels were installed in two different schools and a toilet was built in the remote village, Kalimati, Sindhuli District, Nepal. It has given us profound results. Specially, the weak students who are residing around the school utilize their leisure evening time (after their day of schooling and household job) for tutoring in the classroom, under the bright light we donated. The adult literacy classes at night will also be using it. The single toilet that we built is assisting three households. The areas that were seen filled with stools some months ago are now turning grassy green and fresh. This change has obviously left other villagers thoughtful, calculating on the difference in having a toilet. With this positive and inspiring feedback, we wish to move to next phase. This would be called Pilot Phase II. In this phase, we will be focusing on computers and computer education. We want to provide the schools with computer labs and computers. The school teachers, students and the villagers will be given basic computer courses. We will develop two standard softwares for the use of the school children and the villagers. One of the softwares will be aimed at helping the students to read and write English words and sentences. The other one would help to train the villagers who are illiterate to write in Roman (writing Nepali words in the English alphabet). This is because initially it would be easier for the villagers to learn the English letters only rather than the words and use these letters to write Nepali words. This will be useful in e-mail correspondence with relatives living far away.

Specification

The computer education program will be initiated in two different schools, Binayak School of Kalimati and Chilaunekharka School of Chilaunedada. Both of the schools were each supplied with a 40 watt solar panel during the Pilot Phase I. A computer lab will be constructed in each of the schools. Each school will have two desktop computers with LCD monitors consuming less energy, and two 85-watts solar panels to run the computers.

A teacher form each school will be given basic computer training by SMILES and when comprehensible assigned to spread the gained knowledge to colleagues, students and villagers.

The softwares will be chosen from a competition SMILES will organize inviting various engineering colleges in Pokhara. The winners will have a grant. The winning softwares will be selected as standard device of SMILES for giving computer classes to the students and the local villagers in the rural villages of Nepal.

Estimated Budget for Pilot Phase II

Items	Quantity	Rate (NPR)	amount (NPR)
Computer lab room (4*6 m2 )	2	50,000	100,000
*Equipment*
Desktop computer	4	35,000	140,000
Computer table	4	1,000	4,000
Solar panels, 85 watts each	4	57,000	228,000
*Software competition program*
Award amount	2	5,000	10,000
Program organization	-	-	5000
*Computer training*
Training	2	1,500	3,000
Miscellanoeous Expenses	-	-	10,000
TOTAL AMOUNT			500,000

Note: Rates can be changed according to the current market price.

2009-10-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

Results of the Pilot Phase

Two solar panels are installed in two schools. The light is there. The toilet has been finished the very recent days and will offer the best sanitation facilities in the village. The villagers have been deeply engaged from the very first sight of the SMILES team, when carrying the panels and the batteries to Kalimati, until the finalizing of the toilet. Now they are asking for more work to do. The SMILES team has proved to be an efficient and hard working team in this first trial. We are especially happy to have a young woman, Neelu Shrestha, in the team. She will in herself be a good ideal and inspiration to the girls in the village. Following is the personal report from Surya Thapa after completing his first mission in SMILES.

start of our project SMILES, the team has made a visit to Kalimati again with some new faces in that region like me, Surya Thapa and Dhirendra Kumar Chaudhary. This is the first visit of mine.

Kalimati is one of the remote villages in Eastern Nepal, in Sindhuli district. In this visit I found that it is a compulsion of people in that area to go either Banepa or Kathmandu for better health services, for better educational services and for other services as well.

In this time we got some material with us for the purpose of schools in Kalimati village and Siudibar village. We took two solar panels and two batteries as well as switches, lamps and other accessories required for lighting in school. The material was purchased from Lasersun Energy P. Ltd Kathmandu, which is one of the established organizations in the field of alternative energy resources in Nepal.

The Pilot Phase

2009-08-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

The immediate next phase plan of the project creating SMILES...building the nation is a pilot phase. In this pilot phase we have decided to work in the field of rural electrification and health and sanitation. Talking about the former one, it is one of the main objectives of the SMILES (one can consult the blog posts from the month of July where I have mentioned our objective of alterantive energy sources promotion). Our concept of rural electrification is based on the belief that electricity would improve the standard of living and the economic competitiveness of the people living in the rural part of the nation. For this purpose we will work in beginning with the solar panels/photovoltaics and our initial idea is to start the procedure of rural electrification by donating two solar panels to the houses that run the adult literacy classes in the project's base village Kalimati. We have seen that people and mostly women go to attend the classes during the night time taking kerosene lamps with them.The night time is preferred for the classes as they get busy with their works in their farm during the whole day.At this point of time, we are donating the solar panels because our next phase big plan is to connect this village with the internet connection and VOIP telephony. The co-relation is that our aim is to make the local people participate actively to run the communication facility that the SMILES will bring to this village. For the very purpose it would be easy if we can find people literate, beginners they may be. So, it is our fundamental duty to aid them in their learning process. In a sense people may call it a long term plan, in which we are preparing base for the project.But, the main objective of the project under the energy generation is to light the electric lamps in every house in the village.

Also mentionworthy is the face that we will promote alternative energy sources for the electrification and we will stick to the point that all the technology involved will deal with the remewable sources of energy.

WHY RENEWABLE SOURCES OF ENERGY?

We believe that Renewable energies are the ideal solution for rural electrification in developing countries:

Renewables for rural electrification are more efficient than conventional energies and grid connection
Renewables reconcile sustainable economic development with the fight against climate change

Reliable and affordable electricity is a basic condition for self sustained economic development. Under the rural electrification SMILES will provide solutions which will empower the poor and help the environment. It speaks with one voice about rural electrification with renewable energies.

The next thing in our pilot phase is to build a toilet in the village. During our first site visit we were puzzled when we could not see the toilets in the village except in few houses and they were of couse the land lords in the village.We could find stool alongside the road in most of the places. It is my own experience and I went into the maize field.

So, a toilet now will mark the beggining of our work in the field of health and sanitation. Furthemore, since the SMILES has started working it be for the benefit of everyone( volunteers, paid workers and others who will get involved) who has the habit of using toilet instead of a maize or paddy field or may be the road side.

Talking in general for the future, it is our aim to transform and take the villlage to that point of time when each and every house in the village will have a toilet.

Copy of the notice of the Nepal Government de-licensing ISM Bands in 2.4 and 5.8 GHz

2009-08-10T08:29:00.000-07:00

Source: Nepal Wireless and Networking Project: Case study and Evaluation Report, September 2006

For a better view of the document please move forward to: http://docs.google.com/view?id=dm46pjd_12g3bnnrf2

Microhydro project:Components

2009-08-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

Planned site for the microhydro project under the project creating SMILES building the nation is located in the rural area of the Sindhuli district in Nepal.

The following is the detail listing but not confined of the required components from my side.

Turbine

Penstock Protection Valves

Inlet Valves

Generator & Excitation System

Control & Protection

Switchyard including Transformers

Mechanical & Electrical Balance of Plant

Hydro Mechanical Equipment

The knowledge in the design, construction and maintenance of such projects and other relevant suggestions will be highly entertained.

Photographs:

water mill
local river chosen as the proposed microhydro project site

A dream of WIRELESS NEPAL

2009-08-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

I am extremely thankful to Dr. Mahabir Pun who provided us with an opportunity to work as the researh volunteers in the Nepal Wireless Networking Project. Now we are working and our steps are moving towards a wireless Nepal..The must thing that I have to write at this time is why we have envisioned the wireless communication as an effective tool to create smiles and build the nation.Our idea of starting a community development project with the setup of the wireless stations may at times seem obscure, but be assured, our instincts are based on our own research paper-"Applications of the Wireless Communcation in the Upliftment of the Rural Livelihood:A Case Study of Rural Villages in the Myagdi District of Nepal".A long discussion is to follow the topic in the coming days but for now let us set our minds to create smiles and build the nation.

The picture in this post shows the wireless relay station at Khopra , in the base of the mountain Nilgiri, located at the height of 3,700 meters.Solar panels are used as the means to generate power.Formerly used wind generator is non-functional because the blades were damaged by the strong wind that blows at this place.

Wireless Radios(Wi-Fi)

2009-08-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

Wi-Fi is the name of wireless networking devices and technologies that uses radio waves to provide wireless high-speed internet and network connections and the radios are the devices that use radio waves for the communication. The Wi-Fi Alliance, the organization that owns the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) term specifically defines Wi-Fi as any "wireless local area network" (WLAN) products that are based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers' (IEEE) 802.11 standards."

Wi-Fi was initially used in place of only the 2.4GHz 802.11b IEEE standard, however the Wi-Fi Alliance has expanded the generic use of the Wi-Fi term to include any type of network or WLAN product based on any of the 802.11 standards, including

802.11b, 802.11a, dual-band, and so on, in an attempt to stop confusion about wireless LAN interoperability.

Wi-Fi works with no physical wired connection and communicates between sender and receiver by using radio frequency (RF) technology, a frequency within the electromagnetic spectrum associated with radio wave propagation. When an RF current is supplied to an antenna, an electromagnetic field is created that then is able to propagate through space. The cornerstone of any wireless network is an access point (AP). The primary job of an access point is to broadcast a wireless signal that clients(receiver) can detect and "tune" into. In order to connect to an access point and join a wireless network, computers and devices must be equipped with wireless network adapters .one of the principal advantage with the wi-fi devices is the interoperability.For example, a user with a Wi-Fi Certified product can use any brand of access point with any other brand of client hardware that also is also "Wi-Fi Certified". Products that pass this certification are required to carry an identifying seal on their packaging that states "Wi-Fi Certified" and indicates the radio frequency band used (2.4 GHz for 802.11b/g or 802.11n and 5.0 GHz for 802.11a).

A common misconception is that the term Wi-Fi is short for "wireless fidelity," however this is not the case. Wi-Fi is simply a trademarked term meaning IEEE 802.11x.

The project creating SMILES......building the nation aims at using 2.4 GHz and 5.7 GHz ferquency band wireless radios to establish a networking in the rural villages.Since the Wi-Fis offer high standard of interoperability the wireless radios operating at 2.4 GHz frequency band can be chosen accordingly based on economy,availability and other various decisive factors.For the networking backbone 5.7 GHz Motorola backhaul canopy is highley recommended because of its robustness,reliability and good quality service.

Photographs(from top to bottom):

Motorola backhaul canopy with reflector and a smartbridge radio
A smartbridge radio

Alternative Energy sources for the rural places.........SMILES as a green energy project

2009-08-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

To everybody who wants to know, let me make this clear that regarding the alternative energy sources promotion, it is our aim to light electric lamps in every house in the kalimati village. To this objective we have given a name of Rural Electrification. When SMILES will be working in the field of rural electrification many people would not even know that 1.6 billion people worldwide do not have electricity in their homes and four out of five people electricity live in the developing and the least developed countries.

In the rural places of the country with no electricity,various alternative methods can be deployed to provide the local people with the electricity.These are the sources that we are going to use in the creating SMILES,building the nation for the required power generation.But the most mentionworthy point is that SMILES will work only with the renewable energy technologies in the field of photovoltaics, wind, small hydro or micro hydro and biomass.

The main focus will be in starting the microhydro projects that can provide adequate cheap and clean energy to the rural villages but alongwith the microhydro projects these alternative sources are must because of the various factors such as economy, time required for the construction, manpower etc.

Photographs(from top to bottom):

bicycle generator
solar panels mounted on the roof
wind generator

Microhydro: Overview, Objectives and Advantages

2009-08-05T01:00:00.000-07:00

The history of waterpower in Nepal begins with the traditional water mills (Ghatta) used for grinding flour, however, there are varieties of technologies already available or being developed, which come under the mini and micro hydropower category. Nepal's hydropower potential is estimated to be about 83,000 MW, of which about 43,000 MW is assumed to be economically feasible. However these figures relates mainly to large scale hydropower development. Study reports show that 63 out of 75 districts have the potential for hydropower generation. The focus on micro-hydropower came with starting of subsidy on electrical parts by government and through Agricultural Development Bank-Nepal (ADB/N) in late eighties.Altogether about 1,072 Micro-hydro plants including mills for agro processing have already been installed in the country. There are several governments, semi-government, non-government organizations and private companies involved in the development and dissemination of micro-hydro power in the country.

objectives:

Increasing access to clean and low cost renewable energy technology

Improving environmental health and indigenous practices

Providing opportunities for diversification of productive end uses

Creating local employment and promoting income generating activities

Developing concepts of entrepreneurship and ownership rights to community

Reducing drudgery among women and children

Micro-hydro can provide electricity to rural communities for household lighting and installing end uses to support household economy. In addition, it is reliable source of energy can be use for pumping water supply & irrigation schemes and for driving ropeway & mechanized bridge.

Some advantages:

The components of micro-hydro can be locally manufactured

The micro-hydro schemes can be locally built

Micro-hydro plants are comparatively simple in its construction

The scheme can be locally managed, operated and maintained with training input to the local

Adapted from GRID,Nepal

A sketch of a logo

2009-08-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

Mama with some help tried to get it all together and the first draft as the logo of the project was completed on 1st of July.The mountain, the sun (and moon?) like a smile, from the nepali flag, and the sound signals for the technology. The mountain is drawn in blue, the sun in red and the text at the bottom is black.It is possible to add small text beneath the logo, i.e. adresses, numbers etc.She thinks that the sun should be bigger. This is a just a suggestion, it can be improved, and is being improved and discussed with even more effort and creaivity being poured into it but before working more we'd like to hear your opinion. For any queries regarding the project creating SMILES......building the nation, please write to me at santoshpoudel@ieee.org .Creative suggestions will always be entertained. Thankful to mama and sisters Ingrid and Emma!

creating SMILES....building the nation: The Future

2009-08-01T06:14:00.000-07:00

creating SMILES.....building the nation is a dream. A dream for more than 8000 rural villages in Nepal, a dream for more than 27 million nepalese, a dream for a prosperous nation.

The above sentences give the idea about the future of the SMILES. If we look at the SMILES as a task, it is a never ending task. The need for SMILES will always be there until we can find a single mortal with a need for help in the humane sense.

The beauty behind the SMILES is in its concept of reusability and replicability. It is not that SMILES is meant for Kalimati only. SMILES is meant for the whole nation. It is meant for the prosperous nation that we have in our dream and in our vision. After kalimati we will move to the next village. And then that will be another fresh beginning for us, with the aim to create smiles.But even if anybody tells that after that SMILES has no meaning then he/she will not be correct again. The idea and the concept behind SMILES can always be reused and replicated in some other places and some other nations where the people have the dream to see a prosperous nation.A nation where they can live freely and with satisfaction, with no worries for the education, with no worries for the food, with no worries for the opportunities to develop themselves and no worries for the other basic needs.

For the future, one inevitable and much anticipated point will be the amendments of the way of working of the SMILES. The general objective will be more or less similar every now and then but the need for the different places may be different depending upon geograpghical topology as well and on many other such things.

creating SMILES....building the nation: The idea

2009-08-01T06:05:00.000-07:00

creating SMILES.....building the nation is a dream. A dream for more than 8000 rural villages in Nepal, a dream for more than 27 million nepalese, a dream for a prosperous nation.

The vision for this very idea must have existed in the people's mind from the previous hundreds of years, and another truth is that it is a never ending task........We have to move a long way but as it is said that a journey of thousand miles begins with a single step, it is our start.

Right now the SMILES has its main motto: It's about changing the nation and making a difference......Science, Engineering and Technology combined with the social and economic perspectives of the human lives will indeed create smiles and build the nation......

Let me share with everybody the initial brainstorming, that led us to the start of the project.....

The very first day I got admission in the engineering something came to my mind and that was,

"Can we change the world?".......Being a technical student I have always wanted to get engrossed in the technological panorama, but a study visit to a remote village, Myagdi, in the Himalayan region opened my eyes to a broader view and gave me my first clue. In the village I met a 61 year old villager whom we taught to chat with his son working in an Arabian country. His smiling face when he got in touch with his son struck me hard. This made me interested in how I could work to combine the technology and socio-economic aspects of rural lives in favour of people living in the remote areas. The study visit resulted in a paper “Applications of Wireless Communication in the Upliftment of the Rural Livelihood: A case study of rural villages in the Myagdi district of Nepal”. This paper was successfully presented in a congress in Punjab, India, this year. In the paper what we have concluded is that one can use the present day electronic technology to help the people understand the outer world and change them accordingly giving the rural villages the access to the communication nexus with which we hope a dramatic change will be possible, bringing the people closer and making the world a small place to live.

Crawling of the rural villages’ form the orthodox ways of living and the accompanying poverty confronting the local’s lives towards the prosperity can be sustained with the help of the technology, however basic it may seem, is what I think. I have decided that to reduce the poverty efficiently, various community development projects can be started either with the direct help or some sort of support that the technology brought in the villages can provide. These projects which can also be introduced in the long run as the economic backbone to maintain the technology will open up the plethora of chances for the substantial income.This combination thus established in the rural villages will open up the whole raft of possibilities of the ways with which we can turn the way of living of the local people upside down. This can help in deploying the plans and policies of the government and equip the villagers with the basic rights such as the right to information and the right to education, and beside that, enhancing the earning capacity.

This is how everything started and it has been a long time since 'I' has changed to 'We'.

The Royal Battle

2009-07-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

Ranjit versus The Bull

My besty Ranjit Chaulagain,13 from the village kalimati in sindhuli is the most uncontrollable student in his school.But still, with a natural charm he makes you laugh and love him.

Here is one of the Ranjit's mischief, fight with a bull.

Photographs(from top to bottom):

Ranjit, teasing the bull
Ranjit, playing with the horn
Here comes the King, victorious

Smiling Brothers

2009-07-15T16:53:00.000-07:00

Bir Bahadur Tamang (taller one) and his older brother want me to bring tourists to their place.

The people from this place are searching for the opportunities to earn and to develop their village. They believe that the tourism will help them realise their dreams,dreams of better future for their children..good education,better health services and other basic infrastructures.

Bir Bahadur wants to be the guide and his brother want sto run a tea shop.

Pingviner

2009-07-15T16:21:00.001-07:00

Just thought I could share this picture...I couldn't find it in English, but in case you understand Swedish!

Tried an online translator:"We have said to him that the am failing omojligt , but he wouldn't hark."

Maybe it's like "We told him that he could not fly,but he would not listen."What do you think? Any comments or suggestions regarding the picture?

smiles

2009-07-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

These are the smiles that we are dreaming about.

SMILES irrespective of the caste, creed and gender.........

History of Nepal

2009-07-14T13:37:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Nepal has seen many rulers and ruling dynasties. The earliest rulers were the Kirantis who ruled from 9th century B.C. to 1st century A.D. Legends and chronicles mention that the Indian Emperor Ashoka had came to Nepal and visited Lumbini, the place where the Buddha was born, and where he erected a huge stone pillar to commemorate his visit to that spot.

The Kirants were replaced by Licchavis who, according to the earliest evidences in inscriptions of the 5th century A.D. found in the courtyard of Changunarayan temple which is about 15 km north east of Kathmandu, ruled this country from 1st century to 9th century A.D. This period is noted for the many temples and fine sculptures built around the Kathmandu valley.

The Licchavis were followed by the Thakuris, then came the Malla dynasty. The Mallas ruled focusing mainly on the Kathmandu Valley which has been the residence for most Nepali rulers from time immemorial. No other part of Nepal is as rich in cultural heritage as Kathmandu. Thanks to the exceptionally talented crafts-men, who dedicated themselves to construct the many temples and statues, we have seven world heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley itself.

In the 14th century A.D. King Jayasthiti Malla established a rigid social order. His grandson tried in every way to protect his country from suspected enemy states. Unfortunately, all his efforts were fruitless, everything went beyond his control and the country eventually divided up into 50 small feudal states including the three major ones in the valley.

Then came the Shah dynasty. King Prithvi Narayan Shah who annexed small principalities including three states in the Kathmandy Valley and unified Nepal in a single kingdom. Recognizing the threat of the British Raj in India, he dismissed European missionaries from the country and for more than a century, Nepal remained in isolation. During the mid-19th century Jung Bahadur Rana became Nepal's first prime minister to wield absolute power. The Ranas were overthrown in a democracy movement of the early 1950s.

Nepal was declared a Federal Democratic Republic state on May 28, 2008, during the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly. It was previously a multiparty democracy since 1990.

Religion :

In Nepal, Hinduism and Buddhism are the two main religions. The two have co-existed down the ages and many Hindu temples share the same complex as, Buddhist shrines. Hindu and Buddhist worshippers may regard the same god with different names while performing religious rites.

Nepal has been declared as a secular country by the Parliament on May 18, 2006. Religions like Hindusim Buddhism, Islam, Christianity etc. are practiced here. Some of the earliest inhabitants like the Kirats practice their own kind of religion based on ancestor worship and the Tharus practice animism. Over the years, Hinduism and Buddhism have been influenced by these practices which have been modified to form a synthesis of newer beliefs.

Nepal Fact-Sheet

Area: 147,181 sq. km
Geography: Situated between China in the north and India in the South

Location: Latitude: 2612' to 3027' North Longitude:804' to 8812' East
Capital: Kathmandu

People:101 ethnic groups and 92 spoken languages
Climate: sub-tropical in low lands to arctics in higher altitudes

The National Flag

2009-07-14T13:32:00.000-07:00

The constitutional arrangement for the Nepali National Flag:

The national flag of Nepal, as handed down by tradition, consists of two juxtaposed triangular figures with a crimson-colored base and deep blue borders, there being a white emblem of the crescent moon with eight rays visible out of sixteen in the upper part and a white emblem of a twelve rayed sun in the lower part.

The Nepali national flag was adopted on 16^th of December, 1962 A.D. It is the unique one in the world in the sense that it is not the rectangular in shape. The national flag of the Nepal is made up of two separate triangles, also called as pennants. The flag is inspired from the original Hindu designs.It represents the sovereignty and the national integrity. A matter of pride lies in the fact that never has there been a chance that a foreign flag has flown over the flag of the mountainous country.

Symbolization:

The blue border symbolizes the peace and harmony that has been prevalent in the country since the age of Gautam Buddha, who was born in Nepal. The crimson red color is Nepal's national color, and it indicates the brave spirit of the Nepalese people. The two triangles symbolize the Himalaya Mountains and represent the two major religions, Hinduism and Buddhism. The red triangular flag has been a Hindu symbol of victory since the time of Ramayana and Mahabharata. The depiction of celestial bodies represents permanence, the hope that Nepal will last as long as the sun and the moon. The moon symbolizes that the Nepalese are soothing and calm, while the sun symbolizes fierce resolve. The moon also symbolizes the shades and the cool weather of the Himalayas, whereas the sun symbolizes the heat and the high temperature at the lower part (Terai) of Nepal.

History:

Initially the sun and the moon in the National flag of Nepal had human faces, but they were removed when the flag was updated in 1962. The flag is said to express the hope that Nepal will endure as long as the sun and the moon exist. The flag of Nepal is the only national flag which is not rectangular in shape. It is based upon two separate pennants which belonged to rival branches of the Rana family and the Shah Dynasty, which formerly ruled the country. The two pennants were first joined in the last century, but it was not adopted as the official flag until 1962, the year in which the constitutional form of the government was established.

Paradise On Earth

2009-07-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Nepal is located in the breathtaking Himalayas. In spite of its modest size, Nepal has over 100 distinct ethnic groups, fertile valleys, extensive plains, and four mountain ranges that include some of the worlds tallest mountains.

The capital city, Kathmandu, was founded over a thousand years ago and boasts a population of around a million. The city is a fascinating combination of Nepal's many ethnic groups. The growing influence of the West is particularly evident in the tourist area of Thamel, where there are a surprising number of modern style pubs and cafes set among the somewhat dirty, narrow winding streets.

Most travellers head to the renowned Durbar Square, which is the centre of the old city. 'Freak Street', famous for attracting 'hippies' back in the '60s when overland trips to the Kingdom first became popular, retains little interest nowadays.

Nepal has some of the world's best white-water rafting, kayaking and mountain biking. Its tremendous scenery and friendly and hospitable people, make it a truly unforgettable experience for those who visit and absorb its rich and diverse culture.

Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, straddles the Nepal-China border. The Himalayan range, including eight of the worlds top ten peaks over 8,000 metres, are cited as one of the wonders of the natural world.

Zemanta helped me add links & pictures to this email. It can do it for you too.

Seeing Nepal

2009-07-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

A poem of Bhim Darshan Rokka

Translated in English by Maya Watson

Seeing Nepal

Seeing Nepal it seems familiar
in the morning its seems somewhere I've stepped in this
courtyard before
in my heart it seems
I've met this place in dreams,

Seeing Nepal it seems

A song has been sung from the ridge tops,
a path has wound down from the slopes,
in my heart it seems
at last the sweat of foreign lands has been wiped clean.

Seeing Nepal it seems

walking and walking at last I've reached the end,
come to the house I abandoned at dawn,
and how will I be able to go?
It seems these Himalays have blocked the road.

http://www.nepalikavita.com/1/?q=node/351

creating SMILES.......building the nation

2009-07-13T09:19:00.000-07:00

creating SMILES.......building the nation is a dream.A dream to change the fate of the nation....a dream to change the fate of the people.......A dream that a young mind dreamed.......Now we feel that the the wheel has started rotating.........And it gives me such a pleasure to be writing about the SMILES...Before concluding the first post, I want to remember the names with whose encouragement and the inspirations everything started...... Thanks to Miss Rameela Bhujel, my mama Mrs. Ellinor Broms and the most respectable Dr. Mahabir Pun.

Santosh poudel