Abstract:

The HOUSE-Nepal project (funded by the Glocal 2018 programme of the UPV Centre for Development Cooperation) aims to improve the Nepalese population’s resilience to natural disasters using resources available locally to create an anti-seismic housing prototype. This project is being carried out jointly with the Abari Foundation, greatly experienced in construction in Nepal. In keeping with the actions of the Abari Foundation in recent years, this is a participatory project involving the entire population of Dhulikhel –children, women and men - aiming to empower residents for the construction and reconstruction of the homes and buildings destroyed in the Ghorka earthquake of 2015.

The HOUSE-Nepal project rests on three main axes: the scientific and technical support needed for the construction of an anti-seismic housing prototype in terms of environmental, sociocultural and socioeconomic sustainability; support for the technical training of young people to foster the empowerment of Dhulikhel residents and specifically training students from Tribhuvan University in the organization of theoretical-practical workshops; and workshops for adults, young people, and children to participate in the construction of the prototype.

Therefore, as part of the project, several workshops have been developed for the population and will be presented in this text. The design of these workshops, programmed for April 2020, aims to involve all local residents from all age groups. In addition, the participation of children and adults in the awareness and learning workshops and of young people and adults in the construction of the prototype, and the design of plant mesh reinforcements ensures that the local population has a vital role in the construction process.

Keywords:

Development Cooperation, participatory project, technical training, Nepal.