Rebuilding Gorkha

THE DAY THE GROUND TREMBLED
I had my book in one hand, a sweet lassi in the other and a tiny stray puppy in my lap. It was a picture perfect day by Pokhara lake when the earthquake hit. The ground shook tremendously as patrons ran out of the little tin shack restaurant I was in, to stand outside and watch the world tremble. There was nothing anyone could do but watch. The tectonic plates were indifferent to our shock, as it continued to groan underneath our feet. The rest is history.

Four days after the quake, and with the memory of thousands of life-changing events in between, I was fortunate to find my way back home to Australia. My Nepalese family and friends however, remain in Nepal with the ongoing aftershocks and tremors, with no choice of leaving for another country. They must rebuild from the ground up.

• GORKHA LOCAL: RAWAL'S STORY

I recently completed a 16 day trek to Everest Base Camp with my Nepalese guide Rawal, who very quickly became my brother. No sooner had we planned for my future visits to Nepal for more trekking and aid for Gorkha (his hometown), that I heard the news that this village had turned into dust and rubble with the earthquake. He'd invited me over to his home in Kathmandu to meet his his wife, son and entire family. There we sat on his rooftop overlooking the violent sunset rays of red and purple, digging into a delicious home cooked meal with our bare hands, sharing stories, laughter and making plans for bringing educational aid computers into the schools of his beloved hometown. 

Since getting back to Australia, I've been in touch with Rawal and his family who have faced a devastating loss of their homes in Gorkha. Rawal, being a trusted and influential member of the village went back to provide as much aid as possible. With the current state of affairs, there is no way that locals can start rebuilding their homes unless we provide direct financial assistance. This is where we can help.

Rawal's home in Gorkha, now a hole in the ground: 

Update 20/07/2015: Norbu has completed his field work with Karmaflights and has returned home. All donations marked 50/50 for Karmaflights and Rawal's village will be reconciled this week. Please note that all donations unmarked, and any donations going forward will all go towards the Gorkha rebuild. 

• AID WORKER: NORBU'S STORY

Norbu, a Tibetan born Nepalese, and I met in Lumbini at the monastery we were both staying in. After a few days of lunch conversations we decided to band together a trio with another fellow traveller and start journeying up north together. We were in Pokhara to visit Norbu's grandparents who resided in a traditional Tibetan village when the earthquake hit. Through the entire ordeal, we stuck together and tried to find ways we could all contribute to helping those in remote areas more affected than Pokhara, alas my visa was running out and Norbu's plans were getting a bit too dangerous too earlier on in the sequence of events.

Since that first tremor, Norbu's heart for his people reigned. As soon as local transport was back up and running, he immediately set off for Gorkha along the uncertain roads to do whatever he could to provide help for the more remote villages that wouldn't be receiving aid. We later got back in touch and he told me he'd joined Karmaflights, one of the main rescue organisations distributing supplies in the Gorkha region. Here he volunteers as an aid worker at the forefront of damage, giving us news and updates of events.

Norbu (in white jacket and red shirt to the left) with Karmaflights team in the remote town of Simjung, north of Gorkha.

GEE WHIZ,  WHY ANOTHER FUNDRAISER?
Like any disaster relief, money is often donated to organisations and a lot of it is towards larger infrastructure and general aid. The smaller communities don't see much of it, and funding tends to trickle down from the larger cities into the smaller ones. There is always room to give, especially when there are trusted channels of aid distribution on the ground. In our case, it's Rawal and his area of Barpak, Gorkha. Donate straight into the hands of Gorkha villagers!

WHERE WILL THE MONEY GO?
100% of funds raised will be going directly to:

1. Gorkha Villagers through Rawal, who'll distribute donations to families in the village who require assistance rebuilding their homes in Gorkha. The funds will also help him repair his own home.

2. Shree Kalidevi Primary School, through Jwala Tamang. We require AUD$19,000 to build this school. More updates to come. 

FROM OUR ABUNDANCE

For those of us who are blessed enough to live in a reality of comfortable houses, beds, full pantries, clean fresh water with the certainty of it all being there tomorrow, I ask for your generosity out of your abundance to help these lives in need and rebuild Gorkha.

QUESTIONS? CONTACT ANGELA
There are no questions big or small. If you have any queries, please message me or call directly on +61 433 562 156

CHECK BACK FOR PHOTO/VIDEO UPDATES FROM RAWAL'S FAMILY IN GORKHA. 

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IMPORTANT UPDATE:
Hooray! We built our first Nepalese home!

So this is the first housing unit we've built thanks to your contributions for Rebuilding Gorkha. The materials to build this house was about $450 and will provide housing for Sumpa's parents during the monsoon season.

We have more homes to rebuild, and more funds to raise so please spread the word with friends and family to put in a few dollars for www.gofundme.com/rebuildinggorkha

We still need more than $20,000 to reach our goal.

Thank you so much to Rawal and his local villagers for getting a beautiful sign printed as a means of gratitude. It was such a beautiful surprise!

Please note that I will be returning to Nepal in December to live in this village and help rebuild and implement some programs for the locals. More details will follow soon.

Meanwhile, thanks so much to Hyeon-Joo Newman, Feng Shui, Rae Farnsworth, Tim Senington, Victoria Buckley, Gary Collins, Jamee Kassandra Baker, LG Mur, Roderick Maher and Hanna Piivek for your generous contributions!

Thank you Anish Rawal, Sumpa Rawal and BeePna Singh Basnet for communicating with me so thoroughly through the process.

Update 20/07/2015: Norbu has completed his field work with Karmaflights and has returned home. All donations marked 50/50 for Karmaflights and Rawal's village will be reconciled this week. Please note that all donations unmarked, and any donations going forward will all go towards the Gorkha rebuild.