Mero Gaon – My Village is a project of the Ripa ladrang Foundation. It was founded by Gyetrul Jigme Rinpoche in partnership with the Ripa Sidhi Sangathan.
On April 25th, 2015 a massive earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale devastated many lives and the physical infrastructure of Nepal – Gyetrul Jigme Rinpoche was present in Kathmandu. He and his family along with monks from the Ripa organization rushed to help in any way possible by reaching out to the people with basic supplies as well prayers, giving the traumatized victims physical and mental support. He provided material help like tarpolines and rice bags and offered his prayers for the families who had lost loved ones or all of their belongings. The destruction was severe and the need for help was significant. This inspired Rinpoche to help further by adopting a village and rebuilding it fully by providing basic shelter. Mero Gaon thus was started and its first adopted village was ‘Kulay’.
Kulay, predominantly populated by Tamang was completely destroyed during the earthquake. All 55 houses were partially or totally damaged resulting in uninhabitable houses. Kulay is located in a beautiful location overlooking mountains in Okharpauwa Village Development Committee, Nuwakot about 12 km North-West of Kathmandu.
ABARI (the architechural firm working with Mero Gaon) aimed at designing a model village that would serve as an example for post-earthquake reconstruction and sustainable development. The model village celebrates the architectural tradition of Nepal by using sophisticated traditional knowledge of natural materials while incorporating contemporary design and engineering practices so that they are hazard resistant. The project facilitated the construction of the model village through an owner – driven reconstruction model.
Watch the Videos: