earthquake victims to entrepreneurs.

2015

In the aftermath of the April 25th earthquake in Nepal, Rainaskot residents considered leaving their village for good, rather than rebuilding. The Sangsangai partnered with the villagers to rebuild the homes and add a guest program to help the village with their economic challenges while rebuilding their damaged homes.

2020

Rainaskot was named the#1 Homestay Destination by the Nepal Tourism Board for 2019, and has welcomed thousands of guests since construction was complete in 2017. The village has become a sensation in Nepal, with constant media coverage and fully booked rooms.

Photo of Rainaskot, courtesy of Jason Carter RInaldi

Snapshots of Rainaskot

Rainaskot from above by Jason Carter Rinaldi

Prasad and Tulsi Maya Gurung and their new home

The village handover ceremony featuring traditional Gurung dance

Introducing the Rainaskot Residents

Bhim Kumari Gurung

One of our elders in Rainaskot, Bhim Kumari was the most scared after the earthquake. Here she is proudly showing the new guest room that is now generating income for the whole family.

Bimala Bhujel

Bimala is a widow, and lives with her daughter, who had to flee an abusive husband. She was making just $2 a day when her house was under construction, so the villagers agreed that she could receive the home without investment.

Bittikumari and Jeet Bahadur Gurung

Bittikumari was the most emotional in the wake of the earthquake, as the couple had just invested in a new house a short time before. As Jeet Bahadur said "After the earthquake, I was not able to stay in my house for even one night." They are pictured on the porch of their new home.

Hom Bahadur Gurung

Hom Bahadur is a retired soldier, who now spends most of his day caring for his granddaughters and helping with household tasks. His son is mentally disabled and his daughter-in-law has a physical disability, so life in the village is challenging.

The Rural Economy and Migration

Over the last 10 years, the economy of Nepal has become dependent on the 4 million Nepali citizens living and working overseas, sending their earnings back to their families. While this has caused the poverty rate to decline, it comes at another cost.

Every day, 1500 Nepalis, mostly men, leave for jobs in the Middle East. They often work and live in hazardous conditions in order to send back just a couple of hundred dollars a month. All over Nepal, there are villages with just young mothers and their children, and the elderly.

Since opening in 2017, Rainaskot has welcomed approximately 4000 paid guests each year. Young people from several households who were previously working overseas have returned to Rainaskot, now that there is a viable source of income right in their home village.

report by the Nepali media channel Janata about the Homestay in Rainaskot. In Nepali with English subtitles:

Sustainability

Sustainable Structures

The primary concern of the architects was the earthquake safety features of the buildings.

Using floating foundations, rebar reinforcement, lightweight roofing, and buffers around doors and windows, the design seek to prevent the most likely sources of damage in future earthquakes.

The design also takes into consideration the traditional culture and social structure of the village.

Large porches were included as they serve as meeting place for villagers, an outdoor work space, and a place to welcome guests passing through.

The red and white colors were chosen to reflect the colors of traditional village homes, originally colored using red and white soil.

Sustainable Economy

Each home Rainaskot contains a guest room that the villagers can rent out for cash income.

Due to the location and culture of Rainaskot, the tourist component of economic development has already become a success with 500+ guests in the first few months.

Strategies for income generation include:

paid guests for whom the villagers provide lodging and food, which they have grown themselves
agriculture development, including beekeeping, cardamom cultivation, and raising livestock such as goats and chickens
Locally produced crafts such as baskets and blankets

Sustainable Environment

The rebuilt environment of Rainaskot includes environmentally sustainable features.

Key among these is the biogas tank for each household. Human and animal waste is broken down into fertilizer and methane gas with the addition of water and sunlight.

Benefits include:

cleaner indoor environment due to cooking with gas instead of firewood
self-contained system for the disposal of waste
significant reduction in time spent collecting firewood for cooking
less polluting toxins from burning firewood