Building a food forest for a Village in Nepal

My name is Zazie Tobey, I am a gardener and a dance teacher from Massachusetts and recently I traveled to Nepal to do some work exchange and see the mountains. I spent time on tea farms, in schools and in an art hostel. I met Sushil Babu Chhetri this winter while working in the city, sitting outside of The Farmers Yetti Coffee Shop in the busy district of Thamel, Kathmandu. I am making this go fund me for his Village because my English is a bit better, and because Sushil’s community-driven earth and youth based work is the exact type of action we need to survive and thrive in the current state of this world. Our US dollar goes so far in Nepali Rupees- anything you can give to this project will go towards feeding an entire community for generations to come.

Sushil is an activist, writer, filmmaker, photographer and a farmer. He works to educate people on how to volunteer ethically and fight against child trafficking and abuse in Nepal, which he has personally experienced; leaving his family at a young age and growing up in orphanages organized for profit. He is dedicated to working with the youth of his country to bring them better access to education and land and sustainable agriculture. He produces documentaries and takes photographs of children living on the streets or in unethical conditions to bring awareness to this exploitation. Since COVID-19 hit the world, Sushil has no more work at the coffee shop he co-owns with other artists and activists and also no work making films.


Sushil decided to return home to his village of Manikpur in the district of Surkhet. Upon returning his family offered him a piece of their land to farm and create new sustainable resources for the community. He has been prepping the land day after day to plant a fruit tree plantation. Later he will begin a water irrigation project to provide the village with clean drinking water and thirdly he plans to build a skill share center for Women of all ages to have access to an education and generate their own income.

For this initial fundraiser Sushil and I agreed on a goal of $ 2000.  (US dollars). The money raised will go to the purchase of 300 fruit trees- Papaya, Lemon, Dragon Fruit, Fig, Avocado, Mango and Lychee, as well as medicinal herbs, a stone barrier wall to keep out Rhinos and Tigers and costs of transportation to get plants from a nursery in Nepal. This is a time sensitive fundraiser so please do not hesitate to donate now. Sushil has prepared his land and is ready to plant now! It is the beginning of their monsoon season; an ideal time to transplant, but a rush to beat the heavy rain and flooding. 

Every dollar you donate will be donated to the cost of fruit trees and other plants to feed the Village of Manikpur.


In six months the vegetables will be ready for all to harvest. In one to three years all the fruit trees will be bearing fruit and feeding the village. The healthy soil will regenerate the land for generations to come. The barrier wall will keep people and resources protected. The ditches for irrigation and clean drinking water will be dug after the trees are planted. 

The rainy season gets heavy fast, so please donate $5,$10,$25 or whatever you can. Every contribution counts. For larger donations, donors can dedicate or adopt a tree and you will receive a special name plaque and a photo of it taken by Sushil.




❤️

Please spread the word about this project!

Here is one part of a series of articles and interviews about Sushil’s story, the rest of the articles are also found on the website below: http://learningservice.info/i-was-the-child-you-played-with-a-life-on-the-streets-and-in-an-orphanage-part-three/

Our deepest gratitude for you!




Namaste
Zazie Tobey, on behalf of Sushil Chhetri