Homeless family needs shelter and medical care
Donation protected
The summer after senior year I worked and saved up to spend a year travelling around Southern Asia. I backpacked across Southeast Asia and made my way across India eventually arriving in Nepal. I went alone and met all kinds of people, constantly overwhelmed by the generosity of humans and the lengths they will go to help total strangers. I spent the majority of my time with locals I would meet on the street or arrange to stay with exchange for labor.
When I arrived in Nepal I came into contact with a man named Rikesh and his family of subsistence farmers in the Kathmandu valley. I arranged that in exchange for a place to sleep and food, I would spend a month working for them.
In the first couple days with Rikesh I came to understand his situation:
Rikesh’s family had a home and a plot of land large enough to support an extended family of 17. During the earthquake in 2015 the home and farm land was completely destroyed. Rikesh’s family was forced to live outside for a month before some wealthier neighbors discovered their condition. The neighbors offered to provide them one of their homes in exchange for agricultural work. Rikesh’s family had been living in their home for the last 3 years.
Rikesh's family has maintained a subsistence way of life. Aside from spices, Rikesh family lives completely off the food they are able to cultivate. Rikesh discovered the platform “workaway” and was able to start hosting volunteers and receive labor in exchange for providing food he grew and beds for volunteers.
This is when I met Rikesh. I spent a month staying with Rikesh getting to know his family and way of life. I spent the days working in the fields and helping Rikesh's pregnant wife Rupa prepare meals. I was enamoured by the simple lifestyle and felt like part of the family.
5 months after my departure Rupa had their child. The child died 2 days later. The loss devastated an already suffering family. The Nepali health care system failed to support Rupa’s poor health and subsequently the life of her child.
The owners of Rikesh’s home have new plans and gave Rikesh 3 months to find another place to live. The owner of the home views Rikesh’s family as dirty and sees the misfortune brought upon their family as a bad omen. Rikesh’s family has nowhere to go and nothing to their name.
To excavate and construct a simple home on his land that was destroyed in the earthquake, Rikesh needs around $15,000 USD. This figure represents the cost of materials, labor, and permits for an earthquake safe house. I will forever be indebted to families like Rikesh who taught me more about the world and myself than any part of my privileged upbringing could have. It pains me to wake up and go to bed every day knowing the state of Rikesh.
I challenge whoever reads this story to imagine experiencing any part of Rikesh’s story. The only thing that separates me from Rikesh is the home I was born into. Please consider how a small sacrifice on your behalf could forever change the fate of Rikesh’s family. Rikesh does not have much time before his family could be homeless in one of the poorest countries in the world.
When I arrived in Nepal I came into contact with a man named Rikesh and his family of subsistence farmers in the Kathmandu valley. I arranged that in exchange for a place to sleep and food, I would spend a month working for them.
In the first couple days with Rikesh I came to understand his situation:
Rikesh’s family had a home and a plot of land large enough to support an extended family of 17. During the earthquake in 2015 the home and farm land was completely destroyed. Rikesh’s family was forced to live outside for a month before some wealthier neighbors discovered their condition. The neighbors offered to provide them one of their homes in exchange for agricultural work. Rikesh’s family had been living in their home for the last 3 years.
Rikesh's family has maintained a subsistence way of life. Aside from spices, Rikesh family lives completely off the food they are able to cultivate. Rikesh discovered the platform “workaway” and was able to start hosting volunteers and receive labor in exchange for providing food he grew and beds for volunteers.
This is when I met Rikesh. I spent a month staying with Rikesh getting to know his family and way of life. I spent the days working in the fields and helping Rikesh's pregnant wife Rupa prepare meals. I was enamoured by the simple lifestyle and felt like part of the family.
5 months after my departure Rupa had their child. The child died 2 days later. The loss devastated an already suffering family. The Nepali health care system failed to support Rupa’s poor health and subsequently the life of her child.
The owners of Rikesh’s home have new plans and gave Rikesh 3 months to find another place to live. The owner of the home views Rikesh’s family as dirty and sees the misfortune brought upon their family as a bad omen. Rikesh’s family has nowhere to go and nothing to their name.
To excavate and construct a simple home on his land that was destroyed in the earthquake, Rikesh needs around $15,000 USD. This figure represents the cost of materials, labor, and permits for an earthquake safe house. I will forever be indebted to families like Rikesh who taught me more about the world and myself than any part of my privileged upbringing could have. It pains me to wake up and go to bed every day knowing the state of Rikesh.
I challenge whoever reads this story to imagine experiencing any part of Rikesh’s story. The only thing that separates me from Rikesh is the home I was born into. Please consider how a small sacrifice on your behalf could forever change the fate of Rikesh’s family. Rikesh does not have much time before his family could be homeless in one of the poorest countries in the world.
Organizer
Sol Treister
Organizer
Chicago, IL