Help Briddhim Village, Rasuwa,Nepal
Donation protected
Dear Family and Friends around the world,
As the world is scrambling to help the earthquake victims, millions are injured, homeless, or both. My family in Kathmandu city was among the lucky ones to survive the disaster with minimum loss. However, many in the city and almost all villages were not. The damages caused is heart wrenching.
Despite all of the chaos and confusion there is hope and a light within our communities and the world that has come together to stand in solidarity. The immense amount of love, support and urgency we have received from many of you and is overwhelming and humbling. However, the long term implications of disasters such as this will take years for the country and its people to recover. Proper sanitation and lack of clean water increases the chances of water borne diseases such as cholera and other infectious diseases. The amount of aid Nepal is receiving is being poured into Kathmandu where planes have easier access to landing. The areas outside of the capital are distraught as they have not yet received aid or any information that help is on the way.
Many of you have reached out to us and asked how you can help. While we can certainly point to many NGOs and INGOs to send a donation, we have been hearing the desperate situation of our village people of Briddhim and some families there. Therefore, we decided to set up a team of family to mobilize our efforts to help them.
It is completely destroyed and so far largely ignored due to its remote location. So, please join us for this humanitarian cause and spread our call for help. There is a lot of work to be done and there is so much more we can do.
As a token of appreciation, we will always welcome you to stay at our homes if you ever decide to visit Nepal. For those who we might not ever see, your name will always be in our hearts. We know you have many questions before funding us. If you have more questions that are not covered below, please feel free to contact us.
Thank you very much for your thoughts, prayers and generosity.
Lobsang Lama
Where is Briddhim?
Briddhim is one of the 18 villages in the district of Rasuwa, Nepal. This small settlement of 150 people (mostly the elderly and children) has about 50 houses perched on the mountain, not too far from the Nepal – Tibet, China border. It is only accessible by hiking. The closest road is a 3-hour walk to the town, Shyabru Besi Bazaar. Click here to see its geo location. Please click here to see the images of Briddhim Village and the surroundings before the disaster.
How badly was Briddhim affected?
According to my family members living in Shyabru Besi Bazaar (closest town), the village is completely flattened. Luckily there were not many casualties as most people were outside when the earthquake struck at about noon, April 25th. There is no electricity and communication is cut off.
"Bridim is practically razed to the ground," Dolma's chief finance officer Carla Teixeira Alvares Kaspar said. Source: BBC
How is the situation at the villages currently?
As of today, April 30th, people are taking shelter in the open space. They are still waiting for help. There is no sign of rescue teams. Roads are blocked due to the landslides and all the helicopters are too busy rescuing the foreign trekkers. Food is running out and they are trying to dig out the food trapped in collapsed houses.
Video of Earthquake at Shyabru Besi Bazaar , (the closest town to my village, Briddhim)
How does the Lama Family plan to help them?
Although communication is patchy, we are trying to communicate with our families members in Shyabru Besi Bazaar to listen to their needs. My nephew, Tsering D. Lama who works in partnership with the British funded NPO, Dolma Development Fund, has been looking to charter a helicopter to drop some food to the region. We plan to support his efforts to mainly help our village.
I've also dispatched my younger nephew and his team to deliver the medical supplies provided by the Polish government. These young men will have to carry them 16 hours to deliver it because of the road blocks.
My nephew, Dhendup in the white shirt with his team of friends.
When the road transportation fully clears up, we plan to deliver all the supplies they need: food, medicine, clothes, tents, etc. If our goal is met, we plan to give each household $250 (Rs. 25,000) to rebuild their home.
Why is the Lama Family only helping Briddhim?
As much as we want to help the entire nation, we think it’s more effective to help the region you know best. Since it’s a tightly knit community, it’s easier for us to work with them. If the fund allows, we will obviously extend our help to the other villages nearby.
Who are the Lama Family team members?
Lobsang Lama – Head of the family, Mr. Lobsang Lama moved to the city of Kathmandu at the early age of 12 from the village of Briddhim. Although he found his success in the city, his love for the village always remained. He has always been giving back to the village people in every way he can. Currently he is working to mobilize a team to rescue his people.
Daughter, Sonie Lama – Post Doctoral Fellow at Bristol Myers Squibb, New Jersey, Sonie had gone to visit her family in Kathmandu only to find out her medical expertise was much needed at home. She has already managed to set up her team of friends to help the village people.
Son, Sid Lama – Working at IIL NYC as Web Admin, he is assisting with all the web communication to create awareness and to raise funds from New York.
Nephew, Tsering Dhindup Lama – Born in Briddhim village and a founder of Dolma Ecotourism with an investment and close partnership with the British fundedNPO, Dolma Development Fund, he has led many visitors into the Himalayas on community-led adventures that are run and supported by local people. This is both his way of giving back to his community and earning a living. He will be working with us in conjunction with the NPO.
Nephew, Dhundup Tsering – He lives with his family and was also helping them run the Guest House in Shyabru Besi Bazaar. He happened to be in the city at the time of earthquake and now he left to deliver the medical supplies with his team of friends.
Nephew, Tseten Gyalpo – He is one of the few youngsters who chose to stay in the village to help his family run their Guest House. Unfortunately, the Guest House suffered significant structural damage but the family is fine. He will be serving as a local man power.
Why should I donate to the Lama Family, and not the NGOs?
While NGOs might be very slow to reach the remote parts of Nepal due to bureaucratic reasons and their teams might not have enough helping hands to cover all the parts affected, we believe our team can make a difference effectively and quickly as we have worked together for many years within the community.
My late father was a village chief for many years and he was well known by the community for his village development work. As a tourism entrepreneur, I have been continuing the village development work by bringing foreign aids to sponsor and educate the village kids and promote tourism in the area. I also served for many years as a president of the Nepali Congress party to represent my district.
I assure the funds will not be mishandled and all of it will go where it needs to. And of course, my team will keep you updated on the progress made.
Update posted on May 1st
My Nephew, Dhundup and his friends are facing several landslides on the way. Today, He managed to send this picture from his mobile phone. Communication is still patchy.
Update posted on May 2nd
My Nephew, Dhundup and his team: Unfortunately, the last I heard was that they couldn’t make it all the way to the village. There were several dangerous landslides that hampered their journey.
My Nephew, Tsering: The NPO he works with, were able to airdrop some food to our village.
My Daughter, Sonie and I drove half way to my village to work with the SOS organization team to distributed some reliefs.
Giving out some tarps.
Villagers taking away some tents provided by SOS org.
My personal donation to Parbati's parents, one of my long-time employee at the Guest House . We are from the same district of Rasuwa.
With SOS team and the villagers. Photo taken by Sonie.
Update Posted on May 9th
My Nephew, Dhundup and his friends: They finally made it to their destination, Shyabru Besi town. It took them almost 3 days to get there. Medicine boxes are now delivered.
My Nephew, Tsering with DDF NPO: On May 6th, they were able to get a helicopter to visit and drop more supplies. Below are some pictures.
Almost all houses were severely damaged. All donations will be put to our house re-building program.
People are living in a makeshift home at the moment.
My nephew, Tsering (middle with dark glasses) with the British funded, DDF NPO members and the villagers. Thanks to them for delivering the immediate reliefs.
Update Posted on May 16th
Fortunately, our family in Kathmandu city survived the second big earthquake, 7.4 that hit the city on May 12th. Some of our family members and the villagers also survived without further loss. At this time, we are still suffering from many aftershocks, a recent one being 5.7 on May 16th. It’s been traumatizing for all of us here and the fear still lingers as many of us are still sleeping in the tents outside in the open area.
However, we are determined to help the ones in need. The road to the village is now cleared. So, my nephew, Tsering will be going to the village in few days to deliver the tarpaulins to provide a better shelter from coming rainy season, June to August. Together with Dolma Fund Organization, he will be assessing the damages and the process to rebuild. The fund we collected will support his rebuilding program and we are seeking some Nepal government assistance too. We expect the process to start after the monsoon season is over in early September.
We are so grateful for your love and support. Thank you for believing in the power of kindness and compassion.
Update Posted on May 25th
Now that the road is cleared up, Sonie and her friends delivered Aluminum roofs to the villagers, so they can build their makeshift home to shelter themselves from the coming rainy season, June to August.
On May 24th, Mr. Lobsang flew to the village to drop some tools and more food. Thanks to UK Aid for paying 80% of the helicopter charter fee.
Mr. Lobsang is welcomed by the villagers and he tells them about the rebuilding program.
The villagers come to recieve the reliefs.
As the world is scrambling to help the earthquake victims, millions are injured, homeless, or both. My family in Kathmandu city was among the lucky ones to survive the disaster with minimum loss. However, many in the city and almost all villages were not. The damages caused is heart wrenching.
Despite all of the chaos and confusion there is hope and a light within our communities and the world that has come together to stand in solidarity. The immense amount of love, support and urgency we have received from many of you and is overwhelming and humbling. However, the long term implications of disasters such as this will take years for the country and its people to recover. Proper sanitation and lack of clean water increases the chances of water borne diseases such as cholera and other infectious diseases. The amount of aid Nepal is receiving is being poured into Kathmandu where planes have easier access to landing. The areas outside of the capital are distraught as they have not yet received aid or any information that help is on the way.
Many of you have reached out to us and asked how you can help. While we can certainly point to many NGOs and INGOs to send a donation, we have been hearing the desperate situation of our village people of Briddhim and some families there. Therefore, we decided to set up a team of family to mobilize our efforts to help them.
It is completely destroyed and so far largely ignored due to its remote location. So, please join us for this humanitarian cause and spread our call for help. There is a lot of work to be done and there is so much more we can do.
As a token of appreciation, we will always welcome you to stay at our homes if you ever decide to visit Nepal. For those who we might not ever see, your name will always be in our hearts. We know you have many questions before funding us. If you have more questions that are not covered below, please feel free to contact us.
Thank you very much for your thoughts, prayers and generosity.
Lobsang Lama
Where is Briddhim?
Briddhim is one of the 18 villages in the district of Rasuwa, Nepal. This small settlement of 150 people (mostly the elderly and children) has about 50 houses perched on the mountain, not too far from the Nepal – Tibet, China border. It is only accessible by hiking. The closest road is a 3-hour walk to the town, Shyabru Besi Bazaar. Click here to see its geo location. Please click here to see the images of Briddhim Village and the surroundings before the disaster.
How badly was Briddhim affected?
According to my family members living in Shyabru Besi Bazaar (closest town), the village is completely flattened. Luckily there were not many casualties as most people were outside when the earthquake struck at about noon, April 25th. There is no electricity and communication is cut off.
"Bridim is practically razed to the ground," Dolma's chief finance officer Carla Teixeira Alvares Kaspar said. Source: BBC
How is the situation at the villages currently?
As of today, April 30th, people are taking shelter in the open space. They are still waiting for help. There is no sign of rescue teams. Roads are blocked due to the landslides and all the helicopters are too busy rescuing the foreign trekkers. Food is running out and they are trying to dig out the food trapped in collapsed houses.
Video of Earthquake at Shyabru Besi Bazaar , (the closest town to my village, Briddhim)
How does the Lama Family plan to help them?
Although communication is patchy, we are trying to communicate with our families members in Shyabru Besi Bazaar to listen to their needs. My nephew, Tsering D. Lama who works in partnership with the British funded NPO, Dolma Development Fund, has been looking to charter a helicopter to drop some food to the region. We plan to support his efforts to mainly help our village.
I've also dispatched my younger nephew and his team to deliver the medical supplies provided by the Polish government. These young men will have to carry them 16 hours to deliver it because of the road blocks.
My nephew, Dhendup in the white shirt with his team of friends.
When the road transportation fully clears up, we plan to deliver all the supplies they need: food, medicine, clothes, tents, etc. If our goal is met, we plan to give each household $250 (Rs. 25,000) to rebuild their home.
Why is the Lama Family only helping Briddhim?
As much as we want to help the entire nation, we think it’s more effective to help the region you know best. Since it’s a tightly knit community, it’s easier for us to work with them. If the fund allows, we will obviously extend our help to the other villages nearby.
Who are the Lama Family team members?
Lobsang Lama – Head of the family, Mr. Lobsang Lama moved to the city of Kathmandu at the early age of 12 from the village of Briddhim. Although he found his success in the city, his love for the village always remained. He has always been giving back to the village people in every way he can. Currently he is working to mobilize a team to rescue his people.
Daughter, Sonie Lama – Post Doctoral Fellow at Bristol Myers Squibb, New Jersey, Sonie had gone to visit her family in Kathmandu only to find out her medical expertise was much needed at home. She has already managed to set up her team of friends to help the village people.
Son, Sid Lama – Working at IIL NYC as Web Admin, he is assisting with all the web communication to create awareness and to raise funds from New York.
Nephew, Tsering Dhindup Lama – Born in Briddhim village and a founder of Dolma Ecotourism with an investment and close partnership with the British fundedNPO, Dolma Development Fund, he has led many visitors into the Himalayas on community-led adventures that are run and supported by local people. This is both his way of giving back to his community and earning a living. He will be working with us in conjunction with the NPO.
Nephew, Dhundup Tsering – He lives with his family and was also helping them run the Guest House in Shyabru Besi Bazaar. He happened to be in the city at the time of earthquake and now he left to deliver the medical supplies with his team of friends.
Nephew, Tseten Gyalpo – He is one of the few youngsters who chose to stay in the village to help his family run their Guest House. Unfortunately, the Guest House suffered significant structural damage but the family is fine. He will be serving as a local man power.
Why should I donate to the Lama Family, and not the NGOs?
While NGOs might be very slow to reach the remote parts of Nepal due to bureaucratic reasons and their teams might not have enough helping hands to cover all the parts affected, we believe our team can make a difference effectively and quickly as we have worked together for many years within the community.
My late father was a village chief for many years and he was well known by the community for his village development work. As a tourism entrepreneur, I have been continuing the village development work by bringing foreign aids to sponsor and educate the village kids and promote tourism in the area. I also served for many years as a president of the Nepali Congress party to represent my district.
I assure the funds will not be mishandled and all of it will go where it needs to. And of course, my team will keep you updated on the progress made.
Update posted on May 1st
My Nephew, Dhundup and his friends are facing several landslides on the way. Today, He managed to send this picture from his mobile phone. Communication is still patchy.
Update posted on May 2nd
My Nephew, Dhundup and his team: Unfortunately, the last I heard was that they couldn’t make it all the way to the village. There were several dangerous landslides that hampered their journey.
My Nephew, Tsering: The NPO he works with, were able to airdrop some food to our village.
My Daughter, Sonie and I drove half way to my village to work with the SOS organization team to distributed some reliefs.
Giving out some tarps.
Villagers taking away some tents provided by SOS org.
My personal donation to Parbati's parents, one of my long-time employee at the Guest House . We are from the same district of Rasuwa.
With SOS team and the villagers. Photo taken by Sonie.
Update Posted on May 9th
My Nephew, Dhundup and his friends: They finally made it to their destination, Shyabru Besi town. It took them almost 3 days to get there. Medicine boxes are now delivered.
My Nephew, Tsering with DDF NPO: On May 6th, they were able to get a helicopter to visit and drop more supplies. Below are some pictures.
Almost all houses were severely damaged. All donations will be put to our house re-building program.
People are living in a makeshift home at the moment.
My nephew, Tsering (middle with dark glasses) with the British funded, DDF NPO members and the villagers. Thanks to them for delivering the immediate reliefs.
Update Posted on May 16th
Fortunately, our family in Kathmandu city survived the second big earthquake, 7.4 that hit the city on May 12th. Some of our family members and the villagers also survived without further loss. At this time, we are still suffering from many aftershocks, a recent one being 5.7 on May 16th. It’s been traumatizing for all of us here and the fear still lingers as many of us are still sleeping in the tents outside in the open area.
However, we are determined to help the ones in need. The road to the village is now cleared. So, my nephew, Tsering will be going to the village in few days to deliver the tarpaulins to provide a better shelter from coming rainy season, June to August. Together with Dolma Fund Organization, he will be assessing the damages and the process to rebuild. The fund we collected will support his rebuilding program and we are seeking some Nepal government assistance too. We expect the process to start after the monsoon season is over in early September.
We are so grateful for your love and support. Thank you for believing in the power of kindness and compassion.
Update Posted on May 25th
Now that the road is cleared up, Sonie and her friends delivered Aluminum roofs to the villagers, so they can build their makeshift home to shelter themselves from the coming rainy season, June to August.
On May 24th, Mr. Lobsang flew to the village to drop some tools and more food. Thanks to UK Aid for paying 80% of the helicopter charter fee.
Mr. Lobsang is welcomed by the villagers and he tells them about the rebuilding program.
The villagers come to recieve the reliefs.
Organizer
Sid Lama
Organizer
Elmhurst, NY
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