Help a family in Nepal move from landslide danger to safety

Please help my friend and his family move to safer ground

My name is Peter and I am raising funds to help my guide and friend Raman Tamang and his family move to safer ground. The Tamang family’s home of five generations years is located in Phalante, Nepal, in the pre-mountain area about two hours east of Kathmandu. Here, climate change has caused ever stronger monsoon rains, resulting in an increasing number of dangerous and damaging landslides.

I first met Raman in 2022 when he guided me on a three- week trek in the Manasulu region. He has since guided me on two more treks. He is an amazing trekking guide and human being. He is compassionate and generous, and always sees the positive side of every situation. Raman, now 27, is the first son in the family and as such, is responsible for the entire family's financial well-being. His sisters have all married and moved out. Raman is the breadwinner for his parents and younger brother, who are all illiterate. His parents were prevented from attending school because of their caste identity. Now they work as subsistence farmers, growing maize and rice, raising goats and chickens, and have no cash-producing income. His younger brother, Shrijan, is in training to become a Bon shaman, but it will be a while before he generates earnings.

Raman's cash income from guiding treks in the Himalayas is gobbled up by medical expenses for the family. His mom has multiple health issues, and his sister was recently hospitalized with kidney stones. His income is also needed for the family's supplies, including propane, household items, and clothing. In addition, as the rice harvest doesn't last for the entire year, Raman’s earnings are also needed to supplement their food supply with purchased food. Raman’s employment as a guide is seasonal, and finding temporary work in the off-season is often impossible. Because of this and all the expenses, it has been impossible for Raman to save money. During the 2024 summer monsoon, a landslide destroyed the house right next door, only about three meters away from his, leaving it a pile of bricks. Increasingly, there have been landslides throughout this part of the village because of the growing intensity and duration of the monsoon rains. Raman’s family’s house is at high risk of being destroyed. Raman and his extended family have found a piece of stable land for sale, but they lack the funds to purchase the lot, and their current house is worthless because of landslide risk.

Moving to the new lot and building a simple home would provide the security that Raman's family currently lacks, and would give them several hundred additional square meters on which to grow more food. It would decrease the risk that they might lose their home and have to abandon the village for a shack along a highway, as has happened to many villagers with marginal existences in Nepal. Raman, his brother, and his parents are incredibly hard working, and are trying to cope with the effects of ongoing global climate change. Please help me to help them.

Once donations have reached the minimal amount to purchase the new land, equal to about 20,000 euros, I will fly at my own cost to Nepal to deliver the funds to Raman. Additional donations will support purchase of construction materials, which will complement those available from dismantling their current house.

You can get more information and see some pictures of life in Raman's village from our facebook page, by following this link.

Photo notes:

--The first photo shows Raman, carrying foliage for the family's goats.

--The second photo is of Raman's mother, Masini Tamang.

--The third photo is of Raman's father, Satyaman Tamang.

--The fourth photo shows Raman's sisters.

--The fifth photo is of Raman's younger sister, Sumitra, cooking dinner on the hearth on the porch. Most cooking is done here, with wood. A propane stove is used sparingly, often to quickly brew some tea during the day. Wood can still be freely collected from places about an hour's walk away, while propane needs to be bought with cash.