The Chepangs, an indigenous community in Nepal who up until a few generations before were mostly nomadic and relied on the forest and the rivers for their livelihood were forced to settle down by the Nepali government about 50 years ago. Since then, most have become farmers but their knowledge of farming or building is very limited. They have almost always been left behind when it comes to education, health and infrastructure.
Makwanpur is one of the districts where the Chepangs settled down in. Out of many challenges that the community faces, early marriage is one. 80% of the girls in Chepang communities get married by the time they are 15, leading to poor maternal, infant and child health.
We are working alongside Lischa Himalayan e.V., a German INGO and Unity for Sustainable Development, a Nepali NGO, two organizations that work together in this area to improve living standards of the Chepangs, to design a birthing center for the women of Silinge and nearby villages.
Currently the nine villages in this area have only one government health post, one that does not have good infrastructures.
Situated just below 1000 m in Silinge, Makwanpur, Nepal, the site for the Silinge Health and Birthing center has an overall slope of 5 meters and looks towards the mountains on the North East. There are five different blocks on site, each of them responding to the zoning strategy. The ramp located in between the blocks forms the spine of the project and celebrates the uninterrupted view of the mountains.
The delivery rooms themselves are located at the lower end of the site, to provide them with enough privacy in terms of noise, hygiene and security. These rooms and the staff residence are lifted on concrete stilts, allowing for air to move under the building, thus making the rooms above more comfortable in the hot summers that Silinge experiences. The rat trap bond brick walls ensure acoustic and thermal comfort while also minimizing the building material by 30%. The openings of the delivery rooms are small punctures that let in enough light but also allow enough privacy to the women inside.
We are happy to have gotten the government approval for this project and are looking forward to start building soon!