With typical Indian optimism, the school officials had assured me that 15,000 INR (~$300) would be enough to install a new roof. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a woefully low estimate. This morning, we went in search of the contractor who had built the original structures on the property. We found him at the chai stand below the fort, everyone’s favorite hangout. After the obligatory cup of chai, we headed to the school to get a firm estimate.
The builder’s face was in turns grim and animated as he examined the damage. It turns out that after the earthquake the walls had been repaired with a mixture of rubble, cow manure, and mud. Over time, the monsoon rains had washed out a lot of this glue holding the walls together. The walls need to be reinforced with cement and lime to be able to support a new roof. It won’t do much good to replace the roof if it ends up collapsing the whole structure. After a lot of bargaining, earnest hand-wringing on mine and Flavia’s parts, and discussion of various options, the final cost is 60,000 INR (~$1200) something like four times the original optimistic estimate.
The builder describing the damage.
The good news is that the school has agreed to kick in 20,000 INR (~$400), leaving our share to be 40,000 INR or approximately $800-900. Rather than try and do this piecemeal, we (all the couchsurfers staying at Ishar Palace) have committed to raising the full amount. We’re all busy today hitting up our personal networks to raise the money by the end of the week. We’re also reaching out to the larger couchsurfing community and trying to turn this into an official couchsurfing project. With the power of the internet we will succeed!!
Tonight is the benefit and Tom-the-Brit and Leo-the-German are on the streets roping in tourists to come and drink beer for the cause. We need to raise 10,000 INR (~$200) by tomorrow so we can start buying materials. We’re about $50 away from that amount. We can do it!!!
Tags: GVMSS Project, India, volunteer
February 10th, 2010 at 11:42 am
Has the contractor agreed to take the job and start work in the next week so that you can supervise?
February 11th, 2010 at 5:12 am
Yes, the contractor agreed to take the job and today, the laborers started preparing the walls. We’re meeting with them this afternoon to figure out what materials they need for the next couple of days. We’ll go to the market and buy them.