Feasibility Analysis

It is our hope that the project will provide opportunities for individuals who reside in the Tilahi area in Southeastern Nepal to elevate themselves from extreme poverty.  Similar projects conducted in other third world locations have resulted in transformative change.  Only time will tell if we will be successful but we assure you that we will work diligently to make the dream come true. 

This is a key question that Ten Friends always asks prior to starting a new project or program.

The project concept was initiated by Nurbu and Pema Sherpa, Ten Freinds Board Members and founders of Elevate Neapl.  Nurbu and Pema grew up in Nepal and have frequently returned to visit family and friends. In addition, they have made several trips to Tilahi and have met with local villagers.  Interestingly, Jay Mandel -- a local resident and teacher in Tilahi -- independently approached them about the idea of providing agricultural land for the community.

This is a key question that Ten Friends always asks prior to starting a new project or program.

Similar to other Ten Friends projects, the project will not be operated directly by Ten Friends. Ten Friends will work towards partnering with a Nepal based NGO and will look to pay a stipend to a local Tilahi community member.  Already Ten Friends have developed a working relationship with a local teacher and tutor who has assisted us in previous projects performed in the area.

An assessment of this question will be made by the Ten Friends Board of Directors. 

It is the intent of the project that there will be little impact to other core projects including the Himalayan Education Center, the Hopeful Home Orphanage and the Villages Library Project.  The project is viewed as a "Capital Project" and will have a separate fund-raising effort that will be focused on major project contributors such as foundations, other non-profit organizations, and corporate / business sponsors. In the early years it is anticipated that there will be no opportunity for individuals to make on-line donations to this project.

An assessment of this question will be made by the Ten Friends Board of Directors.  

In the past Ten Friends has adopted a strategy of relying on other established non-profit organizations for conducting projects. We approach this project with the same principal. It is clear that working with a Nepal based NGO will benefit us in this endeavor.  We have not yet investigated other groups that we can work with but are confident that a NGO will be able to be identified and that a partnership can be formed.

This project in undoubtedly the most expensive project that Ten Friends has pursued. We are hopeful that based on our successful track record for conducting projects since 2005 and the relationships that we have developed, that we can meet our fund raising requirements.  The phased approach we will be using also extends out our annual funding requirements.  The approach also provides for the implementation of individual project elements with little co-dependency.  Time will tell if we will be successful in our fund raising efforts.

We will launch this project only if we are assured that the project can be sustained on a long term basis. We plan to create project reserves which can be used / drawn down and needs arise.

We believe that suitable land will be available for the project.  Our initial discussions reflect that many property owners in the area are in need of raising funds to support themselves.  This is another situation in which only when we have additional conversations with existing land owners will be able to make this determination.

This is an excellent question.  Since our project is somewhat of an experiment, we will have to see how  this plays itself out. Frankly, we do not know how if this will be an issue.

Based on discussions with locals in the area, we feel that this project offers a lot of promise.  The incremental changes that Ten Friends has been making have been helpful but we view them as not enough to make a transformational change.   This project will hopefully be able to break the cycle of poverty for the area.

A governance model, that's a term taken right out of western culture.  We are of the opinion that members of the village will take it upon themselves to figure out how to proceed. They have been doing so for generations and it will be important to allow them to continue to work within their culture and historic patterns on how to create and administer the new village.

Our research points to a positive answer to this questions.  Many projects have been successfully implemented in other third world locations.  A few examples are as follows:

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