Describe the critical need your solution addresses.

The current situation and understanding of the people about chemical fertilizers and pesticides, is damaging our health and the environment. People’s poor quality health is the result of poor thinking and doing. Educating people in the field of biodynamic agriculture, and treating them medically, is the solution.

Explain your initiative in more depth and its stage of development.

The KRMEF was conceptually established in 2008 located near Khokana leprosy colony in Kathmandu Valley. Our aim is to provide the underprivileged, the disabled, and the poor, with an opportunity to work on an organic farm allowing them to be productive, while enabling their children to attend school. The KRMEF tries to save the local environment by using local manpower, local waste, and educating the local population about the benefits of protecting the environment. The project currently runs free health and dental clinics in some schools and has recently renovated and opened its first free clinic in the local village community.
The KRMEF is a pilot project focused on recycling waste found in and around the city of Kathmandu and utilizing unused land by giving work to many jobless, helpless and disabled, while making the land organically productive. Currently, the Foundation hosts an eco-guesthouse, and organic garden, attracting visitors from around the world. The KRMEF is now in the process of developing biodynamic farming and a Waldorf inspired village school for the local children.
The project operates two sites and is continuing to expand within the community.

How does your strategy and approach respond creatively and comprehensively to key issues?

• Health clinic for the general public with free doctor consultation and
medication for half the price is provided. It is a very convincing and
powerful tool to gather the people and share the vision and the mission.
• It is focused on the local jobless, the needy and the physically and socially
disabled people of the area.
• People are encouraged to collect all locally available raw materials and
resources for crafts. It has been experienced that it is easy to help people
understand, learn and create products.
• All the waste materials, like paper, plastics, dried pine needles, and
imported liquor bottles, are easy to collect and make into useful household
items. For example; Since Kerosene and Liquid Petroleum Gas are very expensive
and hazardous to our health, we create Bio-briquette made from cow dung, saw
dust, and waste paper, to cook meals in Nepali ovens.
• Because discarded empty liquor bottles are not collected and not recycled,
KRMEF is introducing to the public a way to make use of these in walls, fences
and small mud huts. The effect is practical and aesthetically pleasing.
• A soap nut, a very valuable washing detergent, is an almost forgotten
resource. KRMEF is providing jobs for young women suffering from leprosy and
emotional trauma, to collect the soap nuts and divide the seeds from the
shells. The shells are then packed and sold as natural detergent, and the
seeds are combined with pure silver to create beautiful jewelry. This jewelry
is in high demand not only locally, but in the USA and Europe.
• KRMEF is encouraging the availability of healthy food by growing it ourselves,
and providing training on organic and biodynamic methods of farming.