Breaking rocks!

Hello! This is the first post, but without further ado let's get to work quick. Some brief updates:

• investigating how to become a registered charity; it seemed to me a few weeks ago that rather than creating yet another small charity, it would be better to minimize (taxpayers') money spent on the paperwork and join forces with an existing charity whose purpose is similar. So I dug around and found such a charity. I won't state the name here yet in order no to jinx my chances, but I wrote to them and they were very nice and responsive to me! It seems we'll get somewhere with them, they seem to be open to becoming an "parent" or "umbrella" organization for this project, but these things, too, do take time. They did, however, ask me some very important questions, which I'll address here as well (below);
• in Nepal, in the meantime, work is underway! The village elders have had a meeting and a School Management Committee (SMC) has been put together, with Santaman chairing it. They have found ground for the school building and have started clearing it. Currently the villagers are breaking rocks for the school building. There are some pictures of all this below.

Here are some important questions that were asked about this project, and some answers. These are important topics and the answers are not final nor complete, of course.

1. Where will money for the teachers come from?
   This question, and generally, the question of long-term sustainability of the school project are very important. At the moment, I hope to secure a few long-time donors, who would be able to provide standing-order (regular) donations to total $100-200 a month. That would pay for 1-2 teachers. Longer-term, I hope to apply for various indigenous peoples improvement grants to create a lasting fund for the school.
   
2. Do your future plans include provision for nursery education/adult literacy classes/secondary education?
   The short answer is - not yet. At the moment, we're setting our goals "small" - let's build the primary school, let's see how it works out, let's get it to be sustainable over a foreseeable future, and then we can think about more things. If this project turns out to be a success, I have no doubt that others can follow.
   
3. How much will be reserved from your projected budget for maintenance of the new school?
   Once we reach the necessary minimum needed for the ongoing construction, we will start a drive for maintenance. Generally speaking we expect this to be no more than 10-30% of the construction costs - more precise figures will be calculated in time, though, and posted on the website.
   
4. Will you be going to Nepal (Kaaule) regularly yourself to oversee the project or will Santaman be overseeing the work himself? Would he have a deputy whilst he was away leading treks?
   Yes, I (Misha) will be going there myself, but not as a work overseer - that part is under Santaman's control. When he is away, one of his family members will do the necessary work. A more detailed answer to this question is forthcoming.
   
5. Who would administer the accounting in Nepal?
   Santaman is responsible for the accounting in Nepal - a careful record is being kept of all expenditures, contracts and materials purchase orders and can be made available on request.
   
6. Has the timber already been cut so that it has now seasoned?
   No, not yet. The villagers have not yet received the funds for timber purchase.

So, what's happening now? This week we are sending a portion of the raised funds to Nepal to purchase some immediately needed materials. Santaman is in Kathmandu this week and will travel to Kaaule at the end of it to continue the work. We are trying hard to do as much as possible before the monsoon starts.

And here are some pictures, as promised:

A view of the village.
Children waiting for their school.
The village meeting.
Clearing the ground for the school.
Breaking rocks!