Following a Nepal travel ban set by the University of Colorado, the EWB-CU chapter was not allowed to implement a spring they designed at Karka Dhara. RMP worked closely with the students to implement Karka Dhara on their behalf.
RMP recently conducted an assessment trip to collect design-level data for a future project in Ilam, Nepal. Catch up on the highlights from the trip here!
EWB-RMP member Jon Monson conducted an interview with the Green City Women's Group (GCWG) based in Ilam, Nepal during some rare downtime on the RMP assessment trip. The women's group was formed in June 2013 as a response to the Ilam Green City designation the year before by the government of Nepal. The Green City Women's Group is a highly successful and active public improvements group run by and for the women of the community of Ilam. In addition to creating green spaces throughout the municipality of Ilam, the group has focused on raising awareness of women, especially in the areas of waste management, kitchen gardens, sanitation and hygiene, improved cook stoves to reduce indoor air pollution (a major environmental health concern for women and children), and strengthening local organizations of women.
RMP had a great time volunteering at the Boulder IRONMAN today! We ran an aid station around mile 100 of the bike course. Thank you to all the RMP members as well as friends and family who came out to support our team for this awesome event! And thank you to all the amazing athletes and IRONMAN for the opportunity to volunteer! Great job out there today, everyone!
RMP's Nepal Program and our partnership with the Namsaling Community Development Center was officially recognized by EWB-USA in July 2013. Every July the RMP team conducts a "Year in Review" to both celebrate accomplishments and identify areas of improvement. Here are the highlights from July 2014 - June 2015:
The RMP travel team leaves for Nepal in the coming days! Two of our members, Jon Monson and Jonny Ernster, will be collecting design-level data on two candidate spring source protection sites, one of which will be selected to be designed and implemented over the coming year. Team members Doug DeVoto and Will Nabours will oversee the implementation of the Karka Dhara spring source protection site on behalf of the EWB-CU Boulder Student Chapter. The student chapter designed the site alongside our partner NGO, however due to University travel restrictions following the earthquake, the students are not allowed to travel. The community is ready to move forward with the implementation, so RMP is helping to oversee and mentor the work.
These guys have put in lots of hard work and long hours to bring both the assessment and implementation trips to fruition, especially given the added travel challenges following the recent earthquakes in Nepal. Thank you travel team for all your hard work, and we're looking forward to updates during your trip! Safe travels, fellows!
RMP would also like to extend a big thank you to the student chapter and their professional mentors for coordinating the implementation of Karka Dhara on their end. And of course, THANK YOU to everyone who has donated or attended an RMP event, because YOU make these trips possible!
The Kitchen Next Door is graciously hosting the Engineers Without Borders Rocky Mountain Professionals Chapter (EWB-RMP) to raise funds for our upcoming projects in Nepal.
Come to the Kitchen Next Door on Monday, July 13th between 5 - 9pm to enjoy some delicious food and drinks. Simply mention to your server or bartender that you are participating in the EWB-RMP fundraiser and the restaurant will donate 50% of your entire bill to RMP!! All drinks and food except happy hour items count. There is no additional cost to you to participate besides the regular bill for your order. Funds raised at this event will support RMP's upcoming project partnering with local community members to develop a drinking water source in Eastern Nepal.
RMP members will be around to discuss our upcoming trip to collect data for this new project, the spring source we just completed, or anything else you want to learn about RMP. If you're interested in getting involved in RMP, or just want to hear more about our drinking water projects in Nepal, come hang out!
RMP was honored tonight to have dinner with Dr. Barry Bialek, who co-founded our partner NGO in Nepal, and Pemba Sherpa, the owner of Sherpa's Adventure Restaurant in Boulder, alongside reps from the EWB CU Boulder student chapter. We had the opportunity to hear about Pemba's recent trip to his village near Mount Everest and learned first hand about the work needed to help these communities recover from the recent earthquakes. RMP is excited to explore upcoming opportunities to work on sustainable development projects in these affected communities.
EWB RMP members Amy Piscopo and Clint are busy training for the upcoming Boulder Sunrise tri/du/run! YOU can support their efforts, and help make RMP's upcoming assessment trip to Nepal possible. 100% of your (tax deductible!) donation will support this upcoming trip, which will collect data for our next spring source protection project in Ilam and begin laying the groundwork for projects related to earthquake response. Check out their fundraising pages to help out, and have an awesome weekend!
Clint's page:
https://www.flatironsevents.com/members/fundraising?id=4196
Amy's page:
https://www.flatironsevents.com/members/fundraising?id=5528