Nepal Earthquake Update #3

I received mind-blowing news this morning. The donations and packages sent to Nepal have gotten the attention of their President and made it into the newspapers. Because of all of you who donated, a free health camp has been set up in the Sindhupalchowk District where they are distributing free prescription medications and giving free check-ups. The clothes and blankets have also been distributed to those in need. What started out as just a small act of kindness, some money and old clothes, has saved so many lives that it's made national news in Nepal. What means little to us means everything to them. 

My friend in Kathmandu sent me this email to share with you, "Happy!! Happy!! Happy!! Thank you and your friends. I'm grateful. I'm lucky!"

I am overjoyed. Thank you to all who donated.

Kim

P.S. You can still make a PayPal donation to: donationsfornepal@gmail.com

Nepal Earthquake- Update #2

I've been in contact with our friends in Nepal every day and Dharma has told me about all of the packages and donations he's received from everyone. He says (rough translation) "there are no limitations to my happiness." For those of you who volunteered to help but haven't done so yet, he has sent a desperate plea for prescription meds. which I explained we can't get for him. Many people are sick from living with no shelter in unsanitary conditions and need basic antibiotics. He's found a doctor who can give him prescriptions for the people who need the medication but there's not enough money to pay for them. Please donate what you can to the Paypal account: donationsfornepal@gmail.com and it will be used to buy the medicine. Also, if you've sent a package and can track it, please let me know if it's arrived at the post office in Nepal so I can tell Dharma. There's no fuel left so, therefore, no busses or taxis and he needs to walk all the way into the city to pick them up. 

To donate via Paypal:  Click the Tab that says "Send", Type in the email address: donationsfornepal@gmail.com Then put in the amount you'd like to donate.

If you don't already have a Paypal account just follow the steps to create one. It's very easy.

Thank you all again for your help. There are no limitations to my happiness!

Nepal Earthquake- Update #1

I want to thank everyone who donated to help our friends in Nepal. We are overwhelmed by your generosity and so far we've raised 80,500 Nepalese rupees. We are still accepting donations through Paypal at: donationsfornepal@gmail.com. The money will be split between Grameen Clubhouse to help the villagers of Kirtipur and the HECAC children's home which was destroyed during the earthquake. The children are currently living in tents. HECAC was founded by my friend Bishnu Subedi (no relation to Dharma Subedi). He and all of its members are volunteers. ALL of the money is going to rebuild the home and take care of the children. To learn more you can go to www.hecac.org 



Remains of the HECAC children's home:

This is the temporary shelter for the children until the home can be rebuilt:

Please go to Paypal.com Click the button at the top of the page that says Send, then type in the address: donationsfornepal@gmail.com and put in the amount you'd like to donate.

Nepal Earthquake

Kim and Dharma

You may have read in the news that Nepal suffered devastating earthquakes in April and May. I have several friends in Nepal who I’ve been trying to track down for over 5 months. I heard back from all of them except for my friend Dharma. I presumed he was dead but finally received an email from him 3 days ago. All of my friends survived but they have families with small children and every one of them lost their homes. Their entire villages and an orphanage were destroyed. Most of the people in Nepal support their families on the equivalent of $75 (£ 50 / € 67) a month and now they’ve lost their livelihoods as well. Despite what the news reports have said, not one of them has received any aid whatsoever. My friend Dharma and his family have been living in a remote village in a tent. It has been 5 months and they’ve had no way to contact the outside world; no phone, internet, electricity or running water. There are no buses or roads that can reach them. Everything must be carried into the mountains on the backs of sherpas or donkeys but many of the paths were blocked off by avalanches.

In the past few days, I have received 12 desperate emails. Those who survived the earthquake are now starving. Winter is coming and many of the villagers- elderly, babies, small children- have no tents, blankets or warm clothes and will freeze to death. They also need medical supplies. They don’t even have basic necessities like Aspirin and Bandages.

Dawa, Darren, Kim, and Dharma

They are human beings who love their children and friends just as much as you do. Imagine living with your children, cut off from the world with no money, no food, no water, and no shelter. Think about your pets with their comfortable beds to sleep in. They have a roof over their heads in a climate-controlled home. They have fresh food and water every day. They have medical care and some of them even have more clothing than the people in Nepal.

Dharma holding my hand during the
entire descent so I wouldn't fall

What I learned from my time in Nepal, was that the poorest people are the most generous and the most grateful for what little they have. They invited us into their homes, let us sleep in their beds, fed us the best of their food before feeding themselves. They kept us safe during an earthquake, a mudslide and got me medicine when I was sick.

You don’t need to buy anything new. Look around your homes at all the things you have. I’m sure you can spare a blanket, some winter clothes, bandages, medicine, sleeping bags, or a tent. You can also donate money to help them buy food. We have so much more than we need; iPhones, flat-screen TV’s, cars, and closets stuffed with clothes we never wear. So please don’t say you can’t afford to donate even $10 so a child won’t starve to death.

We've set up a Paypal account for you to easily make a donation. You can send your donation to the email address: donationsfornepal@gmail.com  You can also send an email to the same address if you'd like information about where to send a package.

If you were generous enough to donate to the Red Cross that’s wonderful but unfortunately, the aid never reached them. I have heard this same story from all of my friends in Nepal. None of them have received any help whatsoever. Not even a blanket. We are not the Red Cross. 100% of what you donate will go to feed these villagers and rebuild their homes and orphanage. None of it will go to a billionaire CEO.

                       

Dharma is one of the founding members of Grameen Clubhouse. They are the NGO my husband and I visited when we were in Grameen and I've been coordinating with them to help the villagers in Nepal. They are so grateful that people have not forgotten about them. If you want to learn more about their mission, you can visit www.grameenclubhouse.org. They are so ecstatic that we are sending help and emailed me these pictures of the villagers.   

   

                      

    

Please share this with your churches, synagogues, mosques, co-workers, book clubs, sports teams, neighbors and friends. Thank you for reading.