Residency Program — Build, Train, Leave Knowledge Behind

Live in Jumla. Build systems that work when nothing else does. Train local operators until they can run it all themselves. Then give the knowledge away to the world.

Why the Residency Exists

Systems do not maintain themselves. People must understand them. The residency is the mechanism by which outside expertise is transferred into local capacity.

This is not a program for visitors to have an experience. It is a program for builders to solve specific problems, train specific people, and codify specific knowledge so that it remains in the region permanently.

Remote regions worldwide are littered with the remains of well-intentioned projects. Solar panels with no one who knows how to fix them. Water pumps rusting because a single gasket failed and no one had the manual. Processing equipment sitting idle because the operator who was trained moved away.

The root cause is always the same: knowledge was never codified into the system. It lived in one person’s head. When that person left, the system died.

The Jumla Residency Program is designed to prevent this completely.

Available Residencies — Jumla, Nepal

The Four-Stage Process

Every resident follows a non-negotiable four-stage process. A project is not considered complete until all four stages are finished.

Stage 1: Build It

The resident, working alongside a local counterpart team, physically builds and commissions the system. This is hands-on, on-site, in the conditions where the system will actually operate. No training room. No simulation. Real installation, real problems, real solutions discovered in real time.

Duration: 4-8 weeks depending on system complexity

Stage 2: Document It

Every system must be documented in a format that a local technician with basic literacy can understand and use.

Required documentation for every system:

• QUICKSTART.md — Get running in under 30 minutes
• OPERATOR_MANUAL.md — Day-to-day operation procedures
• MAINTENANCE_GUIDE.md — Scheduled maintenance, common repairs
• TROUBLESHOOTING.md — Visual fault diagnosis flowcharts with photographs of actual installed equipment
• BOM.md — Bill of materials with locally sourceable alternatives
• SAFETY.md — Hazard identification and precautions
• TRAINING_MODULE.md — Curriculum-aligned training content for the education pipeline

All documentation must be translated into Nepali (and Jumli dialect where applicable).

Documentation is a deliverable with the same weight as the working system itself.

Stage 3: Train It

At least three local personnel must demonstrate the ability to operate, troubleshoot, and repair the system independently.

Training progression:

1. Supervised operation — Resident operates, local observes and copies
2. Observed independent operation — Local operates, resident watches silently
3. Blind troubleshooting test — Resident deliberately introduces a fault. Local team must diagnose and fix it without assistance.

Only when all three personnel pass blind troubleshooting is the system considered handed over.

Stage 4: Test It

One month after handover, the resident — or a follow-up resident — conducts an unannounced operational test. The system must be running within expected parameters, maintained by the local team alone, with no external support.

Results are logged. Failures are analyzed. Documentation is revised. The cycle repeats until the system achieves 90-day self-sustaining operation.

Living Conditions

Location: Jumla District, Karnali Province, Nepal (altitude ~2,300m)

Housing: Private room in a natural home built from local stone and timber with 3D-printed connectors. Powered by the micro-grid. Shared kitchen and common area.

Food: A monthly stipend covers basic food costs. Communal produce from the region is available. Residents cook together or take meals with host families.

Workspace: Full access to the fabrication lab (3D printers, hand tools, electronics bench), testing equipment, and the shared studio.

Connectivity: WiFi at the hub via mesh network. Starlink gateway provides internet. Note: connectivity is reliable but not city-speed.

Climate: Temperate Himalayan. Summer (May-September): mild, monsoon rains. Winter (October-April): cold, dry, clear. Pack for cold nights year-round.

Terms

A Typical Resident Schedule

Month 1

• Arrive in Jumla. Settle in. Meet your local counterpart team.
• Site preparation, materials procurement, system assembly alongside the team.
• Daily debriefs documented in the project log.

Month 2

• System commissioning, debugging, and performance testing.
• Draft documentation written as you go (capture decisions, challenges, solutions).
• First training sessions begin with Foundation-level learners.

Month 3

• Documentation finalized and translated.
• Blind troubleshooting tests administered.
• Operator-level learners begin supervised independent operation.
• Handover checklist signed by community representative and resident.

Month 4+ (if staying longer)

• Follow-up testing of previously installed systems.
• Documentation revised based on operational data.
• Advanced training for Technician-track learners.
• Start scoping the next system or improvement cycle.

How to Apply

Send an email to residency@mountaineer.fi with:

1. Your background — Resume/CV, relevant experience, skills
2. Which track — Which residency track you are interested in (or propose your own)
3. Project idea — A short description (1 paragraph) of something you want to build or improve while in residence
4. Duration and timing — When you can start and how long you can stay
5. Any questions — Things you want to know before applying

We review applications with a committee that includes community representatives. We are looking for builders, listeners, and people who understand that dignity and partnership matter as much as technical skill.

What We Look For

• Practical experience — You have built things before, not just studied them
• Teaching ability — You can explain complex things simply
• Adaptability — You can work with limited resources and unexpected challenges
• Humility — You understand that local knowledge is as valuable as technical expertise
• Documentation discipline — You write things down without being reminded

Residency Timeline Overview

Month:   1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10   11   12
        ┌────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┬────┐
Energy  │████████████████████████│░░░░│    │    │    │    │    │    │
        ├────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┤
Waste   │    │████████████████████████│░░░░│    │    │    │    │    │
        ├────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┤
Water   │    │    │██████████████│░░░░│    │    │    │    │    │    │
        ├────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┤
Food    │    │    │    │████████████████████│░░░░│    │    │    │    │
        ├────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┼────┤
Mesh    │    │    │    │    │██████████████│░░░░│    │    │    │    │
        └────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┴────┘
        ████ = Active build + document + train
        ░░░░ = Post-handover testing (Stage 4)

Residencies overlap and feed each other. The Energy resident’s power enables the Waste resident’s machines. The Waste resident’s filament provides parts for all later modules.

Part of Remote Valley OS — an open-source project by Mountaineer.fi