Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The Washing Machine is Capital-A Art.
Or something.
For anyone reading this Kathmandu-side, the washing machine is making a voyage Kathmandu-ward--perhaps by Nepali tractor--this coming weekend for an exhibition at the Lazimpat Gallery Cafe on Sunday, August 24th.
Sean's coordinating, so hopefully he'll post the details about time and what presents to bring!
For anyone reading this Kathmandu-side, the washing machine is making a voyage Kathmandu-ward--perhaps by Nepali tractor--this coming weekend for an exhibition at the Lazimpat Gallery Cafe on Sunday, August 24th.
Sean's coordinating, so hopefully he'll post the details about time and what presents to bring!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Sean is here!
Oh, and I forgot to mention: New mechanic Sean has arrived in Kathmandu, and is going to be a great addition to the program....and hopefully to the blog as well!
Friday, August 15, 2008
A quiet and minor victory
Up at Sakhu on Thursday, Jagat and Agreni told me that they want to make more pedal-powered washing machines--different designs, so they can learn which one works best.
And apparently people in Sakhu are asking what the name of the "company" is that made the washing machine. I told the kds to say PA Nepal; or the Jagat-Agreni-Jivan-Krishna company (though of course many more kids helped out...).
Not sure where super-low-budget Wrench Nepal is going to get the money to make more of these things; but hearing this absolutely made my day--it means that for all the social and appropriate aspects, this building experiment has been a great, great success.
And apparently people in Sakhu are asking what the name of the "company" is that made the washing machine. I told the kds to say PA Nepal; or the Jagat-Agreni-Jivan-Krishna company (though of course many more kids helped out...).
Not sure where super-low-budget Wrench Nepal is going to get the money to make more of these things; but hearing this absolutely made my day--it means that for all the social and appropriate aspects, this building experiment has been a great, great success.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Why build a pedal-powered washing machine?
Part of the tension of running training programs--like bike repair programs--is the question of what we're training for. In other words, when we've finished our class, when we gone over how all the parts of a bike go together and what they do, well, what then?
One obvious answer is vocational partnerships--finding internships, apprenticeships, or whatever else is socially and societally appropriate in bike shops, rickshaw companies, and the like. Another is the negative response: that there is nothing, that class is over, just like the last math class in high school for a soon-to-be English and Latin major. (Ahem.)
And often it stops there--but there are other options.
Especially in places of scarcity (like Nepal), the bike training we're giving needs to be a capacity-building enterprise. This means that it's a means to empowerment, through direct vocational skills--jobs in bike shops; overlapping job skills, like anything related to rickshaws and pushcarts; general mechanical skills; broadly transferable skills, here English-language; as well as a variety of others.
The skills we're teaching don't only have to be used to repair things that other people in other countries have created; they can be used to create things no one has seen or though of before. While the washing machine is not this--they've been built before, in various places--to the kids at the PA Nepal hostel in Sakhu it was and is totally incredible, a total reinvention of the bicycle and the bicycle class I taught there. And so, the point: The point of the washing machine was not to build a washing machine--indeed, it was not to build anything at all, save an imagining of other ideas. Nothing to build, that is, but inspiration.
One obvious answer is vocational partnerships--finding internships, apprenticeships, or whatever else is socially and societally appropriate in bike shops, rickshaw companies, and the like. Another is the negative response: that there is nothing, that class is over, just like the last math class in high school for a soon-to-be English and Latin major. (Ahem.)
And often it stops there--but there are other options.
Especially in places of scarcity (like Nepal), the bike training we're giving needs to be a capacity-building enterprise. This means that it's a means to empowerment, through direct vocational skills--jobs in bike shops; overlapping job skills, like anything related to rickshaws and pushcarts; general mechanical skills; broadly transferable skills, here English-language; as well as a variety of others.
The skills we're teaching don't only have to be used to repair things that other people in other countries have created; they can be used to create things no one has seen or though of before. While the washing machine is not this--they've been built before, in various places--to the kids at the PA Nepal hostel in Sakhu it was and is totally incredible, a total reinvention of the bicycle and the bicycle class I taught there. And so, the point: The point of the washing machine was not to build a washing machine--indeed, it was not to build anything at all, save an imagining of other ideas. Nothing to build, that is, but inspiration.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
How much did it cost?
Yes, well:
New steel, bought at Rajesh Hardware: 2475 Rs.
Nuts and bolts, from Kankai Hardware: 342 Rs.
Bike Parts, incl. a bottom bracket shell, crankset, left crank arm & 2 freewheels: 1390 Rs.
4 Bearings (6305?):250 450 Rs.
Steel Drum: 1100 Rs.
various metal from the same kawaDi: 15 Rs.
Various shop charges: 435 Rs.
Used steels and 2 old bearings used for sizing: 120 Rs.
Recycled steel: 640 Rs.
Other small parts: 20 Rs.
$
Total: 6987 Rs. above, but WN paid 6787 Rs., about $101.29
In kind donations from Aaron and myself:
Nuts and bolts: 110 Rs.
Welding charge at Sakhu: 650 Rs.
Small parts, bicycle: 185 Rs.
Others:463 663 Rs.
(plus 200 Rs. toward the bearings, above)
Amount:1408 1810 Rs.
Total spent:8195 8595 Rs.
*
Caveat: I am not certain that this accounting includes the cost of the 100-liter plastic inner drum, which I recall as being 560 Rs. If we need to include that as well, the cost becomes 8755 Rs., or about $130.60.
Edit: I found the last 3 receipts, for the plastic inner drum (bought new, 550 Rs.), the real receipt for the bearings (450 Rs. instead of 250), and 200 Rs. of miscellaneous pieces.
The cost now becomes 9145 Rs., about $135.48.
New steel, bought at Rajesh Hardware: 2475 Rs.
Nuts and bolts, from Kankai Hardware: 342 Rs.
Bike Parts, incl. a bottom bracket shell, crankset, left crank arm & 2 freewheels: 1390 Rs.
4 Bearings (6305?):
Steel Drum: 1100 Rs.
various metal from the same kawaDi: 15 Rs.
Various shop charges: 435 Rs.
Used steels and 2 old bearings used for sizing: 120 Rs.
Recycled steel: 640 Rs.
Other small parts: 20 Rs.
$
Total: 6987 Rs. above, but WN paid 6787 Rs., about $101.29
In kind donations from Aaron and myself:
Nuts and bolts: 110 Rs.
Welding charge at Sakhu: 650 Rs.
Small parts, bicycle: 185 Rs.
Others:
(plus 200 Rs. toward the bearings, above)
Amount:
Total spent:
*
Caveat: I am not certain that this accounting includes the cost of the 100-liter plastic inner drum, which I recall as being 560 Rs. If we need to include that as well, the cost becomes 8755 Rs., or about $130.60.
Edit: I found the last 3 receipts, for the plastic inner drum (bought new, 550 Rs.), the real receipt for the bearings (450 Rs. instead of 250), and 200 Rs. of miscellaneous pieces.
The cost now becomes 9145 Rs., about $135.48.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Thinking about Appropriate Technology
One of the best educations for me about doing appropriate technology work came from simply watching and listening to Aaron ask questions.
So here I present the list of questions we wrote down to ask the kids before and during the design process of the machine. Hopefully this sort of thing will serve as a good start for someone else's project in the future...
What is the range of clothes we're washing?
What are the step-function sizes? (Or, in other words: what are the 5 most common sized of laundry loads?)
How much water are you currently using for that amount of laundry?
How much water are you willing to use?
How long does that amount of laundry take?
For the machine, how many people should be able to add energy at one time?
Should that be done via feet, hands, both, or something else?
Is it acceptable for women to use bicycle pedals?
If so, is there something better?
If not, what is more acceptable?
How long are you willing to pedal (or crank) for?
Do you think a machine for laundry is a good idea?
What does a machine for laundry need to do? (E.g., stain-removal, washing, drying, sanitizing, etc.)
What are the advantages to a machine?
What could be fun about it?
How to you want to run the machine?
How might the machine work?
Who will use the machine? Who does the majority of work--age, gender, size, etc.?
What do you do when the machine breaks?
More specific questions:
How should we get water to it?
Where should the waste water go?
How should the clothes get in and out?
How should the soap get in and out?
How do you know when the clothes are done?
How many people should it take to move the machine? Should it be in a fixed location or mobile?
So here I present the list of questions we wrote down to ask the kids before and during the design process of the machine. Hopefully this sort of thing will serve as a good start for someone else's project in the future...
What is the range of clothes we're washing?
What are the step-function sizes? (Or, in other words: what are the 5 most common sized of laundry loads?)
How much water are you currently using for that amount of laundry?
How much water are you willing to use?
How long does that amount of laundry take?
For the machine, how many people should be able to add energy at one time?
Should that be done via feet, hands, both, or something else?
Is it acceptable for women to use bicycle pedals?
If so, is there something better?
If not, what is more acceptable?
How long are you willing to pedal (or crank) for?
Do you think a machine for laundry is a good idea?
What does a machine for laundry need to do? (E.g., stain-removal, washing, drying, sanitizing, etc.)
What are the advantages to a machine?
What could be fun about it?
How to you want to run the machine?
How might the machine work?
Who will use the machine? Who does the majority of work--age, gender, size, etc.?
What do you do when the machine breaks?
More specific questions:
How should we get water to it?
Where should the waste water go?
How should the clothes get in and out?
How should the soap get in and out?
How do you know when the clothes are done?
How many people should it take to move the machine? Should it be in a fixed location or mobile?
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Five second washing machine blogging
After a 4-hour journey 20 km to Sakhu yesterday--one of the kids asked, "by walking?" but it was actually by taxi, taxi, tractor, microbus, and then walking--with the outer drum of the washing machine, we today (we think) finished all the necessary welding. So the hand crank cranks, the freewheel and the hand crank turn the inner tub the same direction, the inner tub has a door, and the hand crank will freewheel if you're pedaling!
More to come tomorrow.
More to come tomorrow.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Washing Machine!
Somehow this washing machine project is eating up every last second that I seem to have, so I haven't had a chance to resize any of the pictures from the last two days. In brief, here's the rundown:
- On Tuesday, Aaron and I met with Indira from PA Nepal, to talk about her goals for the project and to see what she hopes we'll be able to accomplish
- On Wednesday, Aaron and I biked up to Sakhu--where the machine will be located--to do a site visit and meet the kids (Jagat, Agreni, Jivan) who will be helping us build it. This became a design session that was really successful--when we had the kids draw basic plans for their machines, for instance, all of them included water inputs and outputs, even though we hadn't talked about that in our "design parameters" (and we certainly didn't use that term!). Hopefully I remember more about this to give a lengthier report when construction is finished.
- Yesterday we spent most of the day sourcing parts--iron and steel tubes, bearings, barrels, and so forth. There are some pretty pictures on my personal blog, but in general it was more stressful than it needed to be.
- This morning, as I write this, Aaron has been fabricating some of the pieces, so that the kids do the majority of the assembly and all the fitting and difficult machine work is done for them. I had a Nepali lesson this morning, have been doing my best to catch up on all the organizing work I continue to have to do while this project goes on--a task that is more difficult than it sounds--and class with RugMark this afternoon, then up to Sakhu to do a little building tonight and a lot tomorrow (all day).
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
The advance cavalry arrives!
No pictures yet, but my good friend Aaron arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport on Sunday after 6 weeks in Ladakh. He was working with a Canadian NGO called Design for Development, in partnership with the Ladakh NGO Health Inc.
Suffice it to say that Aaron is way more qualified to do what I'm doing than I am, but that of course puts him in pretty good demand--the first night he was in town he showed my pictures of the inclusive swingset he designed and built in Ladakh that allows kids who can't pump their legs to swing as long as someone else swings next to them, and he spent a year with BEN in Namibia building bicycle ambulances.
And the Wrench Nepal news is: We're going to spend the next 2 weeks building a pedal-powered washing machine for the P.A. Nepal house in Sakhu!
This might end up being the highlight of my trip out here.
Suffice it to say that Aaron is way more qualified to do what I'm doing than I am, but that of course puts him in pretty good demand--the first night he was in town he showed my pictures of the inclusive swingset he designed and built in Ladakh that allows kids who can't pump their legs to swing as long as someone else swings next to them, and he spent a year with BEN in Namibia building bicycle ambulances.
And the Wrench Nepal news is: We're going to spend the next 2 weeks building a pedal-powered washing machine for the P.A. Nepal house in Sakhu!
This might end up being the highlight of my trip out here.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
A tika for Teacher's Day
Last Friday was Teacher's Day in Nepal--I think a Hindu holiday, but I'm uncertain--and after class (fixing flats and adjusting hubs) finished at 5 the kids asked if I knew (I didn't) and if I wanted to celebrate (why not?).
I followed Shyam--who's 18, just passed his SLC, and whose job it is to translate any of the more difficult explanations into Nepali, and to write Nepali terms on the board--up to the 3rd floor of the hostel building, where we sat in a big empty room with a single bench. There I was dusted with flower petals and had a tika applied to my forehead, and was presented with my ritual gift of a cup of Coca-cola, a couple of bananas, and some of the mildly spicy Nepali snack food that I still don't know the same of.
And then we talked about how to get visas to go to the US, which most of these kids will have extreme difficulty obtaining because there's not a lot to hold them to Nepal...but that's a discussion for another time.
I followed Shyam--who's 18, just passed his SLC, and whose job it is to translate any of the more difficult explanations into Nepali, and to write Nepali terms on the board--up to the 3rd floor of the hostel building, where we sat in a big empty room with a single bench. There I was dusted with flower petals and had a tika applied to my forehead, and was presented with my ritual gift of a cup of Coca-cola, a couple of bananas, and some of the mildly spicy Nepali snack food that I still don't know the same of.
And then we talked about how to get visas to go to the US, which most of these kids will have extreme difficulty obtaining because there's not a lot to hold them to Nepal...but that's a discussion for another time.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
How to true a wheel, Nepali-style
I went yesterday to a "real" (i.e. retail) bike shop to get a chain--I twisted a link on my way to visit some friends (of mine, of Tom's, and of the shop's) and I needed one anyway for the kids at P.A.--whose class started before RugMark's--to practice taking apart and putting together.
It was raining when I got to the shop, so the guys inside invited me to sit down and wait it out, which I did, happily. I'm beginning to develop a sense here of which storms will last 20 or 30 minutes and which ones will last all day, and this looked like a passing shower. One of the big signs is when the rain starts; similar to living in the Midwest during thunderstorm season, you get a lot of afternoon showers that clear by nightfall, but if it starts in the morning it will probably go all day.
In any case, the shop had a bunch of Nepalis in it, probably 5 or 6, plus me, which made for a lot of cheerful squeezing back and forth in dim light between gray metal shelves stacked haphazardly with greasy bicycle pieces, mostly held in plastic bags ripped open. The only kid working--probably no more than 19--was working on a wheel with a pretty good hop in it, which had a couple of broken spokes.
First he replaced the spokes, which actually took a good bit of time--the wheel was 4-cross and had probably 40 or 44 spokes. That's a lot, more than you need, and (as an aside) from everything I've read 3-cross is actually stronger. The kid kinked the spokes a little finagling them into place, but while I think I probably could have kinked them less, getting them in without any kinks at all would be really, really hard. He put them in the right place--over and under the other spokes correctly--though.
He then gave them a good initial tightening and put the wheel into the truing stand, which in Nepal is a contraption without the caliper arms at the bottom that American/European stands usually have. Instead you get 4 legs , with an old spoke twisted around one pair--it's this spoke you move up and down to judge whether the wheel is true. The mechanic at the shop actually just put his thumb on the bent spoke so that the wheel grazed his nail, and used that to determine lateral true. (Radial true, with this tool, is pretty easy.) He found the spot he want to work on, determined the length of the hop, and marked it with a finger.
Then he picked up a metal mallet with one hand and then a sledge with the other, and bracing the sledge against the rim, hammered it back into true.
After he had done that a couple of times he checked the spoke tension with his fingers, and tightened the spokes that had become loose with his hammering. He continued for a few more spots on the wheel, but it had stopped raining and I paid for the chain (200 Rs., about $3 USD) and walked back home.
It was raining when I got to the shop, so the guys inside invited me to sit down and wait it out, which I did, happily. I'm beginning to develop a sense here of which storms will last 20 or 30 minutes and which ones will last all day, and this looked like a passing shower. One of the big signs is when the rain starts; similar to living in the Midwest during thunderstorm season, you get a lot of afternoon showers that clear by nightfall, but if it starts in the morning it will probably go all day.
In any case, the shop had a bunch of Nepalis in it, probably 5 or 6, plus me, which made for a lot of cheerful squeezing back and forth in dim light between gray metal shelves stacked haphazardly with greasy bicycle pieces, mostly held in plastic bags ripped open. The only kid working--probably no more than 19--was working on a wheel with a pretty good hop in it, which had a couple of broken spokes.
First he replaced the spokes, which actually took a good bit of time--the wheel was 4-cross and had probably 40 or 44 spokes. That's a lot, more than you need, and (as an aside) from everything I've read 3-cross is actually stronger. The kid kinked the spokes a little finagling them into place, but while I think I probably could have kinked them less, getting them in without any kinks at all would be really, really hard. He put them in the right place--over and under the other spokes correctly--though.
He then gave them a good initial tightening and put the wheel into the truing stand, which in Nepal is a contraption without the caliper arms at the bottom that American/European stands usually have. Instead you get 4 legs , with an old spoke twisted around one pair--it's this spoke you move up and down to judge whether the wheel is true. The mechanic at the shop actually just put his thumb on the bent spoke so that the wheel grazed his nail, and used that to determine lateral true. (Radial true, with this tool, is pretty easy.) He found the spot he want to work on, determined the length of the hop, and marked it with a finger.
Then he picked up a metal mallet with one hand and then a sledge with the other, and bracing the sledge against the rim, hammered it back into true.
After he had done that a couple of times he checked the spoke tension with his fingers, and tightened the spokes that had become loose with his hammering. He continued for a few more spots on the wheel, but it had stopped raining and I paid for the chain (200 Rs., about $3 USD) and walked back home.
Monday, July 14, 2008
A Vocabulary Lesson
Because most of the kids in WN's two RugMark classes speak pretty marginal English, Ghanshyam and Rejina--my contacts there--asked that we make sure that the kids know how to fix the Indian and Chinese bicycles most common here, so they have, perhaps, job opportunities in non-tourist shops.
Part of that, I figured, was learning the Nepali names for bicycle parts. Here's the vocab from this week's lesson:
English name/Nepali name (pronunciation)
Tire/Tire
Tube/Tube
Rim/Rim
Hub/Hub
Axle/Laath (LAHT-h)
Cone/Cones (COHN-ess)
Lockring/Wasaar (WASS-ar)
Bearing/Bearing
Spoke/Spoke or Espoke (ESS-poke)
Valve/Baltu (BALL-tu)
Guess what we were learning about this week!
(All Nepali crudely transliterated by me, of course).
Part of that, I figured, was learning the Nepali names for bicycle parts. Here's the vocab from this week's lesson:
English name/Nepali name (pronunciation)
Tire/Tire
Tube/Tube
Rim/Rim
Hub/Hub
Axle/Laath (LAHT-h)
Cone/Cones (COHN-ess)
Lockring/Wasaar (WASS-ar)
Bearing/Bearing
Spoke/Spoke or Espoke (ESS-poke)
Valve/Baltu (BALL-tu)
Guess what we were learning about this week!
(All Nepali crudely transliterated by me, of course).
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
The boring part of the job
So somehow getting the website cobbled together as an accurate reflection of what I'm actually doing has taken me the better part of a week—mostly getting the words right (or wrong, depending...) but also more frustrating issues like unruly colors and realizing that I had been inserting the Wrench Nepal logo in place of the title of the page, which meant that any link you clicked was a weird computerized crapshoot to any other page on the Wrench Nepal website, since all of them had the same name: -.html.
I think all that sort of thing is fixed now, but honestly, I like fixing bikes, not computers. There's just more satisfaction in jobs you do with your hands.
You should see the changes in the next couple of days, once Tom has agreed that I'm not embarrassing the both of us. And when all the updates go live (volunteer page! a revised "What is Wrench Nepal"! Oh my!) I'll also send out the broader solicitation email looking for new staff.
The goal is to get at least two people, after all.
I think all that sort of thing is fixed now, but honestly, I like fixing bikes, not computers. There's just more satisfaction in jobs you do with your hands.
You should see the changes in the next couple of days, once Tom has agreed that I'm not embarrassing the both of us. And when all the updates go live (volunteer page! a revised "What is Wrench Nepal"! Oh my!) I'll also send out the broader solicitation email looking for new staff.
The goal is to get at least two people, after all.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
New faces wanted!
It's weird to be already recruiting a replacement, since it feels like I shouldn't have to quite yet. But that's Nepal, and the reality of the whole 150-days-in-a-calendar-year visa system.
Anyway, here's the email I sent today to the list of folks who'd expressed interest already in coming out to WN. Unfortunately internet issues in Nepal continue and all of my links (to the WN homepage, and to this blog) were stripped out when I received the email back. Eh, that's Nepal, but it's little things like the ease of access (being able to click rather than having to type wrenchnepal.com) that make a big difference in rather tenuous activities like recruitment.
I'm looking forward to class with RugMark on Friday!
Anyway, here's the email I sent today to the list of folks who'd expressed interest already in coming out to WN. Unfortunately internet issues in Nepal continue and all of my links (to the WN homepage, and to this blog) were stripped out when I received the email back. Eh, that's Nepal, but it's little things like the ease of access (being able to click rather than having to type wrenchnepal.com) that make a big difference in rather tenuous activities like recruitment.
Hello everyone!
This email goes out to everyone who's expressed interest in working with Wrench Nepal. We'd love to have you work in Kathmandu!
Wrench Nepal continues to teach bike repair to some of the most disadvantaged kids in the Kathmandu Valley, though our methods have changed a little from our founding--we currently parter with local, Nepali-run NGOs, which are our kids' primary social support. (More info about these changes at the Wrench Nepal blog.) One NGO rehabilitates former child laborers and girls who have been trafficked; the other provides schooling and opportunity for the children of the incarcerated, who (in true Dickensian fashion) would otherwise be in prison with their parents, despite committing no crime. For a variety of reasons, these kids are caught in a trap of poverty that we are trying to free them from.
You'll be arriving at a really exciting time for the shop--a time when we embark on uses for the basic bike repair skills that the kids have learned in the trainings I've taught. This can be in the old repair shop, might be making bike-machines a la Mayapedal, or something else--anything else--that you're excited about. Or even all three!
We're hoping to get at least one person out here as soon as possible, and at least two within the next two months. In addition, anyone who comes before September can stay at my apartment until then for free--bed and all. Yeah, it's a bribe, but we're not above that.
You should have:
- Working knowledge of basic bike mechanics
- Good communication and organizing skills
- Willingness to live in a foreign environment and work with people
from a very different culture
Wrench Nepal continues as an all-volunteer program ,but the cost of living is very low here, with rent in a comfortable place at times as little as $50 per month--my own rent is about $68, and about $74 with utilities, and I didn't look very hard. Volunteers can also pursue part-time paid work to support themselves while here.
If you'd like to come, please send a brief resume to me at mario@wrenchnepal.org. Make sure to highlight your experience working with bicycles and working in community organizing positions.
Thanks, and I hope to hear from you very soon!
Mario Bruzzone
Wrench Nepal
mario@wrenchnepal.org
I'm looking forward to class with RugMark on Friday!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
These are not my hands, and this is not my bike
This is Jivan (JEE-ban), who's taking apart and putting back together a V-brake from a bike owned by my friend Isabelle--a bike where the brakes' springs were so damaged that Jagat (jÉ™-GAT--below) broke one not by adjusting it but by touching it.
I know: I was watching the whole time. And then I broke another, so I got to ride the bike back to Kathmandu with only the front brake working.
The best part was that I got to ride down this, which has leeches:
House at the top=starting point.
Tree at the lowest point=bottom.
Leeches=everywhere.
And I get to do this every week!
I know: I was watching the whole time. And then I broke another, so I got to ride the bike back to Kathmandu with only the front brake working.
The best part was that I got to ride down this, which has leeches:
House at the top=starting point.
Tree at the lowest point=bottom.
Leeches=everywhere.
And I get to do this every week!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Changes at Wrench Nepal
A lot has happened—and changed—in the last 11 weeks.
Tom had to go home (because of his illness) before I got here, leaving the shop in the care of a Nepali bike mechanic named Gopal. When I came about a month later, just before the elections in early April, all that was left was the physical shop: Diwakar, Maan, and Krishna, the interns, were all gone; Gopal had rarely come, and something serious enough happened between him and Maan that when I was finally able to track down Maan's whereabouts 3 weeks later, he wanted nothing to do with Wrench Nepal ever again. Gopal gave back his keys and that was that.
As you might imagine, flying to a foreign land, far from my support network and a place where I had never been before and knew no one, to find that the program that I had come for was in shambles and the whole country closed for days for the elections...was a stressful time, for me.
Nonetheless, I've been doing my best to put things together in a better, more sustainable model than the one I inherited.
One of the issues with the earlier incarnation of Wrench Nepal was that it was set up as (or similar to) a primary social support mechanism for the interns. In other, more direct, words, Diwakar had nowhere else to go—though of course he had friends and ways of getting or scamming his basic needs—and Maan had only his drop-in center. This proved problematic when things broke down between Tom's departure and my arrival: the shop was closed when it was supposed to be open, and who could the kids go to? For whatever issues Gopal and Maan had, who could Maan ask to intercede on his behalf and restore peace?
(Krishna, if you're wondering, more or less had guardians, but was caught sniffing glue and stealing from shops in nearby Buddhanilkantha. His guardians gave him a choice between that way of life and staying in their house, and he left.)
So a new model has been emerging: Wrench Nepal partners with local and locally-directed organizations to provide specific skills and trainings to the kids within them. Our current partners are:
Prisoners Assistance Nepal. Currently I teach one class per week with the wards at the PA Nepal house and school up in Sakhu, about 20 km northeast of Kathmandu, kids who—though innocent—would otherwise be in jail with an incarcerated parent, typically a mother. It's a Dickensian system, really. These are kids who are deeply stigmatized in much of Nepali society because of their parents—kids are not just unprovided for, but are the victims of prejudice for years to come.
Nepal Rugmark Foundation. Nepal Rugmark rehabilitates former child laborers from the carpet industry and girls who have been trafficked, and gives them life skills and vocational training. Because many of these kids have been working for many years by the time they are rescued, they are desperately and usually irreparably behind in their schooling. So many of Nepal Rugmark's kids wanted to participate that I had to set up two sections on different days to accommodate them all, at the home and school in Sinamangal, Kathmandu.
The next challenge is going to be what to do with a heap of kids who've learned the basics of fixing bikes!
Thursday, March 6, 2008
New Recruits
Here's the email I sent out looking for new people to come and work at the shop. I out of here in May, unless there's some fix for the visa situation.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tom Martin
Wrench Nepal
tom@wrenchnepal.org
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hello, from Kathmandu! This email is going out to many of the bicycle
programs and community contacts I've come across in the last few
years. You may have heard from me when we were initially organizing
this project, looking for advice. Now that we're off the ground,
Wrench Nepal is looking for volunteers.
Wrench Nepal (www.WrenchNepal.org) runs a small bike shop here in
Kathmandu, Nepal, that is operated by bike mechanic 'interns'-- Nepali
teenagers who, for any reason, are in danger of entering adulthood
without marketable job skills, or are otherwise at a disadvantage.
There are over 400 homes in Kathmandu alone for children who have been
orphaned or abandoned by their families. At the moment, we work with
kids from a drop-in shelter and a group that supports the families of
those in prison, with a seemingly endless supply of possible new
interns: teenagers eager to learn a useful skill, to practice their
English, and to become self-sufficient. With only one person training
them, however, the shop cannot work with more than 2-3 people at a
time. That's where you come in.
We're looking for two people at a time to act as bike mechanic
instructors and program organizers. Two positions are available to be
filled immediately; the second shift will be open in May, when the
current instructor's visa expires. The requirements are:
- Working knowledge of basic bike mechanics
- Good communication and organizing skills
- Willingness to live in a foreign environment and work with people
from a very different culture
Bike shop or co-op experience is a major advantage, as is experience
in business administration or community activism. Grant writing skills
will be helpful. Each position is for approximately 4 months and
requires that you live in Kathmandu. As this is an all-volunteer
program, there will be no pay, and any profit that the shop raises
will be distributed among the Nepali interns for things that they need
as future bike mechanics. Cost of living is very low, rent in a
comfortable place can be as little as $50 per month. Volunteers can
also pursue part-time paid work to support themselves while in Nepal.
We encourage those of you who are presently enrolled in universities
to consider this as a possible independent study abroad opportunity.
We will work with the administration at your school to determine if
this can be a for-credit internship for you. If you do not have
mechanic skills, we may still be interested in your participation as
an organizer.
If interested, please send a brief resume of your relevant experience
and a short cover letter to tom@wrenchnepal.org. Make sure to
highlight your experience working with bicycles and working in
community organizing positions.
Thanks, and hope to hear from you soon. I encourage you to forward or
re-post this message anywhere you feel is appropriate.
programs and community contacts I've come across in the last few
years. You may have heard from me when we were initially organizing
this project, looking for advice. Now that we're off the ground,
Wrench Nepal is looking for volunteers.
Wrench Nepal (www.WrenchNepal.org) runs a small bike shop here in
Kathmandu, Nepal, that is operated by bike mechanic 'interns'-- Nepali
teenagers who, for any reason, are in danger of entering adulthood
without marketable job skills, or are otherwise at a disadvantage.
There are over 400 homes in Kathmandu alone for children who have been
orphaned or abandoned by their families. At the moment, we work with
kids from a drop-in shelter and a group that supports the families of
those in prison, with a seemingly endless supply of possible new
interns: teenagers eager to learn a useful skill, to practice their
English, and to become self-sufficient. With only one person training
them, however, the shop cannot work with more than 2-3 people at a
time. That's where you come in.
We're looking for two people at a time to act as bike mechanic
instructors and program organizers. Two positions are available to be
filled immediately; the second shift will be open in May, when the
current instructor's visa expires. The requirements are:
- Working knowledge of basic bike mechanics
- Good communication and organizing skills
- Willingness to live in a foreign environment and work with people
from a very different culture
Bike shop or co-op experience is a major advantage, as is experience
in business administration or community activism. Grant writing skills
will be helpful. Each position is for approximately 4 months and
requires that you live in Kathmandu. As this is an all-volunteer
program, there will be no pay, and any profit that the shop raises
will be distributed among the Nepali interns for things that they need
as future bike mechanics. Cost of living is very low, rent in a
comfortable place can be as little as $50 per month. Volunteers can
also pursue part-time paid work to support themselves while in Nepal.
We encourage those of you who are presently enrolled in universities
to consider this as a possible independent study abroad opportunity.
We will work with the administration at your school to determine if
this can be a for-credit internship for you. If you do not have
mechanic skills, we may still be interested in your participation as
an organizer.
If interested, please send a brief resume of your relevant experience
and a short cover letter to tom@wrenchnepal.org. Make sure to
highlight your experience working with bicycles and working in
community organizing positions.
Thanks, and hope to hear from you soon. I encourage you to forward or
re-post this message anywhere you feel is appropriate.
Tom Martin
Wrench Nepal
tom@wrenchnepal.org
Saturday, March 1, 2008
New Website
Check it:
www.WrenchNepal.org
I also just realized that we should be .np, for Nepal. Oh well.
www.WrenchNepal.org
I also just realized that we should be .np, for Nepal. Oh well.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Fixin'
It's nice to have a wrench in my hand again, and it's even better to put it in the hands of others. Check of these photos of me and Krishna, one of the three interns at the shop. Check out the one where I'm struggling with the freewheel tool, turning it the wrong way. We're putting a new website online soon (thanks Jess), and then I'll start trying to find other mechanics to come help out.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Down to work
Diwakar and I are starting work at the shop tomorrow. Looks like the shop schedule will be M-F 1-5 pm, possibly with work on Saturday too. Diwakar is one of three interns I've collected, but the nature of this project is that people will probably drop in and out of the program. For the most part, the kids I'll be working with have never really had an incentive to stick with anything. Hopefully I can provide a positive result for their work here, but it's possible that they'll feel like this is also a waste of time. I think this is a hurdle inherent to working with people whom you're 'helping'-- making a program that matches your largely self-serving adgenda and their individual needs and wants. So we'll see. Their attitudes should be a god litmus test for the sucess of the program.
Here's where our budget stands:
Rent: Only NRs. 1,500/month, lower than my projected cost. That means the the amount of money I've set aside ($250) will last 10 1/2 months. We pay on the 7th; February is paid.
(-1,500)
Tools: I got non-specific tools (see below) for 6,700. I started buying bike-specific tools, and have a workbench full of the most common ones for a total of 4,500. They're fine tools, Chineese made, and didn't cost a fortune because I didn't have to go to Bangkok to get them, a shop here sold them to me. I also got a truing stand for 1,000 from another shop, where one of the mechanics has volunteered to come work with us.
(-12,200)
Parts: I bought...
28" Tires x 6 (190 ea)
26" Tires x 6 (190 ea)
28" Tubes x 17 (100 ea)
26" Tubes x 17 (110 ea)
100 pack tube patches x 3 (60 ea)
28" spokes x 144 (200 total)
26" spokes x 144 (200 total)
Hub cones, 1 pack (250)
1/4" bearings, 12 boxes (30 ea)
1/8" bearings, 12 boxes (25 ea)
5/32" bearings, 12 boxes (25 ea)
Rod-style break pad, 3 sets (10 ea)
MTB brake shoe, 3 set (10 ea)
Caliper brake shoe, 3 set (10 ea)
Brake cable and housing sets, 3 (50 ea)
Brake cable sets, 3 (50 ea)
Grease (My own donation, I forget how much I paid)
... which cost 8,060-- the cables were thrown in.
Shop costs: Work benches, stools, tool boards, 5,200 total.
So that's 25,460 for tools, benches and parts and 1,500 for rent, so far ($404.13, $23.81).
The Friends of Nepal donated $750, with a $500 tools/$250 rent breakdown. That means:
$95.87 remains for tools
$226.19 (9.5 months) remains for rent
EXCEPT that the parts will be sold again at cost, so figure that 8,060 (plus some for the free parts) back in, means we have an extra $128 in tools.
This is all at NRs. 63 to the dollar. I tried to open a bank account here today, but the bank is closed because it's Democracy Day, whatever that is.
Budget concerns aside, here are the tools I originally requested funding for, marked with an 'X' if I got it, or an equivalent.
AV-1 Axle Vise
BBT-5 Bottom Bracket/ Cassette Lockring Tool for Campagnolo
BBT-9 Bottom Bracket for 16 notch external bearing crankset systems X
BBT-18 Chainring Lockring/ Bottom Bracket Tool X
BBT-22 Cartridge Bottom Bracket Tool X
BT-2 Fourth Hand Brake Tool
CBW-1 8 and 10mm Open End Wrench X
CBW-4 9 and 11mm Open End Wrench X
CC-2 Chain Checker Chain Wear Indicator
CCP-2 Crank Puller (square spindle type) X
CCP-4 Crank Puller (ISIS Drive® and Shimano® Octalink type
CCW-5 Crank Wrench 14mm socket / 8mm hex
CNW-2 Chainring Nut Wrench
CT-3 Professional Screw Type Chain Tool X
FR-5 Cassette Lockring Tool for Shimano® and similar brands X
HCW-4 36mm Box-End and Bottom Bracket Pin Spanner X
HCW-5 Double-Sided Bottom Bracket Lockring Tool
HCW-15 32 and 36mm Laser Cut Headset Wrenches (two) X
PH-1 P-Handled Hex Wrench Set w/ Holder (7 Piece Set) X
SBC-1 Spoke, Bearing, and Cotter Gauge
SCW-SET 13mm through 19mm Professional Shop Cone Wrench Set X
SR-2 Professional Sprocket Remover X
SW-0 Professional Spoke Wrench X
SW-1 Professional Spoke Wrench X
SW-2 Professional Spoke Wrench X
TL-1 Tire Levers X
Improvised truing stand X (Actually I got a real one)
Box wrenches, Indian X
Table stand, improvised X (Yet to be assembled, but I have something)
So, the remaining $250 or so has to get us an Axle vise, a fourth hand, a chain checker, a crank wrench, a chainring nut wrench, real bottom bracket wrenches, a spoke/bearing ruler, real cone wrenches (ours are just 2 double sided ones, good enough for the moment) and Campy or Octalink stuff, although that's not a priority. We're not doing bad. All of this stuff will probably come over with visitors/volunteers.
Here's where our budget stands:
Rent: Only NRs. 1,500/month, lower than my projected cost. That means the the amount of money I've set aside ($250) will last 10 1/2 months. We pay on the 7th; February is paid.
(-1,500)
Tools: I got non-specific tools (see below) for 6,700. I started buying bike-specific tools, and have a workbench full of the most common ones for a total of 4,500. They're fine tools, Chineese made, and didn't cost a fortune because I didn't have to go to Bangkok to get them, a shop here sold them to me. I also got a truing stand for 1,000 from another shop, where one of the mechanics has volunteered to come work with us.
(-12,200)
Parts: I bought...
28" Tires x 6 (190 ea)
26" Tires x 6 (190 ea)
28" Tubes x 17 (100 ea)
26" Tubes x 17 (110 ea)
100 pack tube patches x 3 (60 ea)
28" spokes x 144 (200 total)
26" spokes x 144 (200 total)
Hub cones, 1 pack (250)
1/4" bearings, 12 boxes (30 ea)
1/8" bearings, 12 boxes (25 ea)
5/32" bearings, 12 boxes (25 ea)
Rod-style break pad, 3 sets (10 ea)
MTB brake shoe, 3 set (10 ea)
Caliper brake shoe, 3 set (10 ea)
Brake cable and housing sets, 3 (50 ea)
Brake cable sets, 3 (50 ea)
Grease (My own donation, I forget how much I paid)
... which cost 8,060-- the cables were thrown in.
Shop costs: Work benches, stools, tool boards, 5,200 total.
So that's 25,460 for tools, benches and parts and 1,500 for rent, so far ($404.13, $23.81).
The Friends of Nepal donated $750, with a $500 tools/$250 rent breakdown. That means:
$95.87 remains for tools
$226.19 (9.5 months) remains for rent
EXCEPT that the parts will be sold again at cost, so figure that 8,060 (plus some for the free parts) back in, means we have an extra $128 in tools.
This is all at NRs. 63 to the dollar. I tried to open a bank account here today, but the bank is closed because it's Democracy Day, whatever that is.
Budget concerns aside, here are the tools I originally requested funding for, marked with an 'X' if I got it, or an equivalent.
AV-1 Axle Vise
BBT-5 Bottom Bracket/ Cassette Lockring Tool for Campagnolo
BBT-9 Bottom Bracket for 16 notch external bearing crankset systems X
BBT-18 Chainring Lockring/ Bottom Bracket Tool X
BBT-22 Cartridge Bottom Bracket Tool X
BT-2 Fourth Hand Brake Tool
CBW-1 8 and 10mm Open End Wrench X
CBW-4 9 and 11mm Open End Wrench X
CC-2 Chain Checker Chain Wear Indicator
CCP-2 Crank Puller (square spindle type) X
CCP-4 Crank Puller (ISIS Drive® and Shimano® Octalink type
CCW-5 Crank Wrench 14mm socket / 8mm hex
CNW-2 Chainring Nut Wrench
CT-3 Professional Screw Type Chain Tool X
FR-5 Cassette Lockring Tool for Shimano® and similar brands X
HCW-4 36mm Box-End and Bottom Bracket Pin Spanner X
HCW-5 Double-Sided Bottom Bracket Lockring Tool
HCW-15 32 and 36mm Laser Cut Headset Wrenches (two) X
PH-1 P-Handled Hex Wrench Set w/ Holder (7 Piece Set) X
SBC-1 Spoke, Bearing, and Cotter Gauge
SCW-SET 13mm through 19mm Professional Shop Cone Wrench Set X
SR-2 Professional Sprocket Remover X
SW-0 Professional Spoke Wrench X
SW-1 Professional Spoke Wrench X
SW-2 Professional Spoke Wrench X
TL-1 Tire Levers X
Improvised truing stand X (Actually I got a real one)
Box wrenches, Indian X
Table stand, improvised X (Yet to be assembled, but I have something)
So, the remaining $250 or so has to get us an Axle vise, a fourth hand, a chain checker, a crank wrench, a chainring nut wrench, real bottom bracket wrenches, a spoke/bearing ruler, real cone wrenches (ours are just 2 double sided ones, good enough for the moment) and Campy or Octalink stuff, although that's not a priority. We're not doing bad. All of this stuff will probably come over with visitors/volunteers.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Woods Valves
Apparently every bike here that doesn't come from America/Europe has a woods valve. I'd never seen one in real life before today.
The kids come in next week to start training. The paint hasn't dried on the toolboards yet, I'm starting to think it won't.
The kids come in next week to start training. The paint hasn't dried on the toolboards yet, I'm starting to think it won't.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
No tables.
The workbenches, stools and tool boards I ordered aren't ready yet, they should be done tomorrow.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Day One
This past week as been incredibly successful for WN. It's hard to know exactly where to start in explaining it. I suppose first of all, thanks are due for the Friends of Nepal (www.friendsofnepal.com/) for funding the project. The grant came through this morning and will allow us to buy a full shop set of branded tools, something that only a few places in this country have. This is what will really give our 'interns,' as I've taken to calling them, the advantage, I hope. The grant will also allow us not to worry about rent for more than long enough to become self-sustaining, as we set up shop here:
I'm the tall(er) white guy. The short ones are my new best friends. The smiley one rode around on the back of my bike for about an hour as we looked for paint and a place that built work benches. There will be two built-like-a-tank work benches and two stools there on Tuesday at 5 pm. I think I'll have to put off painting until then, because I need something to stand on to paint. The woodworkers are also delivering plywood for the tool boards, which will be mounted on the walls.
It's 123 Bhat Batini Marga, Bhat Batini, on the little street with the temple, for those of you who want to stop in.
Thanks to Jess as well for our new logo (below) which will end up on tee shirts and cycling caps once I figure out how to do that. It will be on the new, less-compuserv website as well, once we get that up (thanks again to Jess for volunteering to do that.)
I got tools, too. It was actually really easy finding good, cheap tools here in KTM, down in Bhotibal, near Patan. It's motorcycle city, so things like box wrenches are easy to come by. We now have:
- Combination (Box/Open) Wrenches, 6mm-22mm, 2 sets
- Allen Keys, 2 sets
- Hack Saw
- Needle Nose pliers, 2
- Cutting Pliers, 2
- Vice grip
- Channel Lock
- 12" Adjustable
- Mechanic's Hammer
- Rubber Mallet
- Measuring Tape
- Oil Can
- Pipe cutter
- Caliper
- Screw Drivers, 4 pc, 2 sets
- 4" Table Vice
That's 2 mechanic's benches full of non-specific tools. The specific tools will be harder to get, they come from Bangkok.
I visited a town called Seku where PA Nepal (google it, they're really cool) houses their older kids. These kids have been removed from prisons where they lived with their parents and put in a foster home. I asked if anyone wanted to come be a cycle mechanic, and everyone's hand shot up. In another week, I hope the shop will be in good enough shape to start work.
APC Nepal has promised to show me around their vocational training motorbike shop, which I'm psyched on. I'll take photos.
Anyhow, stay tuned, there's a lot more to come.
I'm the tall(er) white guy. The short ones are my new best friends. The smiley one rode around on the back of my bike for about an hour as we looked for paint and a place that built work benches. There will be two built-like-a-tank work benches and two stools there on Tuesday at 5 pm. I think I'll have to put off painting until then, because I need something to stand on to paint. The woodworkers are also delivering plywood for the tool boards, which will be mounted on the walls.
It's 123 Bhat Batini Marga, Bhat Batini, on the little street with the temple, for those of you who want to stop in.
Thanks to Jess as well for our new logo (below) which will end up on tee shirts and cycling caps once I figure out how to do that. It will be on the new, less-compuserv website as well, once we get that up (thanks again to Jess for volunteering to do that.)
I got tools, too. It was actually really easy finding good, cheap tools here in KTM, down in Bhotibal, near Patan. It's motorcycle city, so things like box wrenches are easy to come by. We now have:- Combination (Box/Open) Wrenches, 6mm-22mm, 2 sets
- Allen Keys, 2 sets
- Hack Saw
- Needle Nose pliers, 2
- Cutting Pliers, 2
- Vice grip
- Channel Lock
- 12" Adjustable
- Mechanic's Hammer
- Rubber Mallet
- Measuring Tape
- Oil Can
- Pipe cutter
- Caliper
- Screw Drivers, 4 pc, 2 sets
- 4" Table Vice
That's 2 mechanic's benches full of non-specific tools. The specific tools will be harder to get, they come from Bangkok.
I visited a town called Seku where PA Nepal (google it, they're really cool) houses their older kids. These kids have been removed from prisons where they lived with their parents and put in a foster home. I asked if anyone wanted to come be a cycle mechanic, and everyone's hand shot up. In another week, I hope the shop will be in good enough shape to start work.
APC Nepal has promised to show me around their vocational training motorbike shop, which I'm psyched on. I'll take photos.
Anyhow, stay tuned, there's a lot more to come.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Slimming down
I think the initial goals for this project were a little too lofty. It would be great if Wrench Nepal could simultaneously open a shop, train intern mechanics, import bikes, repair them and ship them to populations in need within the country. However, at the moment we are a staff of one (me) and it seems a lot more practical focusing on opening the shop and getting kids started so that the next batch of volunteers can have something to work with. Bikes can't be donated until the summer anyway, so that makes sense as a long-term goal, maybe even next year. The major hold-up there is finding a group to help get the bikes through customs, which has not been easy.
So, paring down the budget to include only necessary tools, I see us needing $750 initially. I've got a proposal in to the Friends of Nepal (google it) and a few others in the works. I'm confident that something will materialize, although it's a little like trying to get water from a rock.
As for the next set of volunteers, I'm thinking it would be practical to ask two people to run the place, a lead mechanic and a volunteer coordinator/fund raiser. There's a lot of networking and legal stuff that needs to be done, including finding a way for this to become a for-credit academic opportunity, for WN to really take off, and it's too much to put on someone who'll be in the shop full-time. If either of these positions appeal to you, email me, and we'll talk. I'll post the positions formally when the shop opens.
So, paring down the budget to include only necessary tools, I see us needing $750 initially. I've got a proposal in to the Friends of Nepal (google it) and a few others in the works. I'm confident that something will materialize, although it's a little like trying to get water from a rock.
As for the next set of volunteers, I'm thinking it would be practical to ask two people to run the place, a lead mechanic and a volunteer coordinator/fund raiser. There's a lot of networking and legal stuff that needs to be done, including finding a way for this to become a for-credit academic opportunity, for WN to really take off, and it's too much to put on someone who'll be in the shop full-time. If either of these positions appeal to you, email me, and we'll talk. I'll post the positions formally when the shop opens.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Happy New Year
It’s been a long few weeks trying to figure this all out. Finally I have a few good leads. The NGOs I asked to partner with me took their time (what with the holidays) getting back to me, but one has expressed a real interest in the program and definitely has the capability to get our bikes through customs and into
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