Int'l Asian Academy to come up at Silent village
Source: Chronicle News Service / R Lester Makang

Ukhrul, April 16 2022: A unique educational institute named 'International Asian Academy (IAA)' which is designed for poor, impoverished children and orphans will be set up under Asian Ministries at Silent village (Honkhuiphung) under Saikul block in Senapati district.

For infrastructural development especially its building structures, IAA has roped in the service of Affordable Human Needs (AHN) and foundation work of the building is currently underway.

AHN is a US-based company which uses new and low-cost technology 'Earth Bag' for construction.

On Saturday, an official inspection of the site was jointly conducted by IAA director Rev Tuithing Shimray and AHN officials including its president Walter Lillo (USA), Rwanda director James, engineer Samuel (Uganda) and member Ju along with Silent villagers in the presence of media persons.

Talking to media persons during the inspection, Tuithing Shimray informed that even as construction of the main building has just begun, the academic session started from April 1 this year at the existing building as an expedient measure.

A total of 14 students have so far enrolled in the current session.

Informing that the institute is offering CBSE curriculum from nursery to standard II at present, he said that the target of the institute is children from poor, impoverished families and orphans.

Admission for the children will be free of cost and monthly tuition fee will be minimal, he said, adding that among the other facilities available included free computer class, international teaching method and hostels for both boys and girls.

Once completed, the institute will have a sprawling 15-acre campus in the lush, verdant foothills of Silent village located about 65 km from Ukhrul district headquarters and about 15 km from Imphal city, he added.

During inspection of the construction site, AHN engineer Samuel explained the method of house construction using earth bag technology.

He said that a trench is dug to lay the foundation of the earth bag house and the walls are created with layers of polypropylene rice bags or feed bags filled with soil or gravel that are stacked like masonry, one on top of the other and tamped flat.

Barbed wire will be placed between three layers of the bags to keep bags from slipping and for tensile strength of the wall.

This method will save a lot of money because no sand or cement will be used during the construction.

Cement or locally prepared materials can be used only to plaster the walls, he said, adding that many earth bag houses have been constructed in Uganda, Rwanda, Nepal, Thailand and other countries.

AHN president Walter Lillo said that earth bag technology was invented by a Chinese national who migrated to USA and AHN has adopted the technology to introduce it to developing countries where the people are economically not sound and cannot afford high-cost constructions.

The global mission of AHN is to produce and introduce affordable products that improve the economy, health and daily lives of the world's underprivileged population, Walter added.

Later, Walter introduced and demonstrated the company's water filter based on hollow fibre membrane.

He said that AHN water filter eliminates hazardous bacteria and parasites that cause major health issues such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea.

He informed that each water filter costs $ 15 and these water filters are inexpensive and can provide poor populations with access to pure water.

The foundation stone for the Asian Ministries' new academy was laid on April 18, 2021 .

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