Kathmandu Voices : April 2015

Responding to Nepal's Needs

Last summer (2015) I fulfilled my dream of planning my own volunteer trip to Nepal. I began creating my project many months before the massive earthquake hit in April, 2015. Even with the added risk and uncertainty, I felt it was more important than ever to carry out my plans.

For years I had been longing to return to Nepal where I attended a Tibetan school in 2010. I was excited for the opportunity to give something back to the beautiful, fragile cultures of the Himalayan people. There are so many needs in Nepal, but I chose to volunteer teach at the same school where I was a student five years earlier.

Another goal was to somehow share the amazing, tragic and beautiful stories of the Nepali and Tibetan people. To do this I interviewed several individuals, and produced a series of videos to post on my YouTube channel. These are the "Kathmandu Voices" that I want to share...

You can view this old video about my project, understanding that my original goals changed somewhat based on the earthquake aftermath, and the needs of the school and students with which I worked.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

What Nepal Needs Now... Donations!

I've been planning my summer volunteer project for almost a year, and so many of you wonderful friends and family have supported me! THANK YOU! My project is fully funded, and I hope it will be really successful... But now with the big quake disaster, Nepal needs emergency help!

If you can help with a donation, there are many great organizations rushing to Nepal right now to help survivors of this tragedy. The people there will need ongoing help for many months, and even years... I've got a list posted of good NGO's who are working in Nepal.

In a couple of months, my Dad and I hope to fly over to Kathmandu to work toward my project goals. I'm sure some things will change, due to the earthquake conditions. Will the Manasarovar school be

safe to use? Will they have power and water? Could I be teaching in the old building, or in a tent in a field somewhere?

Right now we can't predict what they will need... For now the head of the school, Tsultrim, has said "I am safe and the children and their parents. No intenet no phone lines and it was a nightmare. It is still shaking and we are in the streets." They are just trying to take care of the students basic needs day by day. Food, water, tents & tarps in case it rains, cooking outdoors.

Just keep thinking of them, and praying for them. They'll need help for a long time! Let's not forget Nepal when the next big story comes out!

Great News!!! The Students are Safe!

Our family has been searching online all weekend, checking Facebook, sending emails, and trying to get in contact with our friends in Nepal. One by one they have responded with messages that "we're OK... all are safe... the students are alive and well..." What a relief for me, but I know there are so many other families experiencing tragedy today. There are also many students that I knew when I was a student at Manasarovar who have not posted updates or sent emails. I'm still so worried!

The students at Kailash Children's Home and also Manasarovar Academy are apparently OK... but they are all "living in the street." Due to unstable buildings and frequent scary aftershocks, no one wants to stay indoors. Kathmandu has become a massive tent city, with everyone living, sleeping, cooking, etc. on the roads, parks, and empty lots around town.

While I'm really glad our friends are safe, I know this situation can not last for long without big problems. Where will they get water? Is there plumbing? Electricity? How are they dealing with sanitation and garbage? And there are tens of thousands of people, maybe hundreds of thousands, living outdoors.... I'm sure it's really difficult, and I wish I could fly over right now to help!