Help Nepal - A Humanitarian Effort

April 26, 2015 -

What seemed to be an ordinary weekend here in the US, a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck my home country Nepal on Saturday April 25th, 2015 has killed more than 2,000 people, left a wake of destruction across the broader region, and triggered a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest.  The earthquake is the worst to hit Nepal in over 80 years. Strong aftershocks (earthquakes north of 5.5 to 6.8 rectors) continued throughout the day, much of the centuries old Nepali heritage is completely lost and the whole nation is unifying as one and camping out in city parks as people can no longer depend on the land they are stepping on or the fear that the house they’ve lived in for decades might come and crush them.



I am content to report that my immediate family and friends have all been accounted for and are trying to stay safe. I however cannot relay the same message for the country as a whole.  The Government of Nepal, one of the poorest country in the world, has declared a state of emergency and requested international assistance.  USAID/OFDA has activated a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) and is providing an initial $1 million to address critical humanitarian needs.  The urban search-and-rescue (USAR) specialists from the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department have also been deployed to Nepal in order to support emergency response efforts in cooperation with the government of Nepal. Similar immediate assistance is also flowing in from bordering countries India and China and a $5M assistance from Canada as well.


My wife and I have started a GoFundMe campaign to reach out to our high-school, university and work networks with a goal to raise USD $15,000.  We will distribute the total donations received equally amongst UNICIEF and America Nepal Medical Foundation on April 29, 2015, both of which are well reputed non-profit organizations so the money we contribute will directly go to the hands of the people in need v.s. an organization with high administrative costs.

Us Nepalese living abroad are united in helping the country regain its strength in every possible way, however we clearly believe the humanitarian effort cannot be completed alone.  Please join us to help this good cause as no donation is too small or big and every penny counts to get immediate help to the ones in need and to rebuild the beloved country.

Tinks & Anamika Bhattarai

Additional Information:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/26/asia/nepal-earthquake/index.html

http://www.usaid.gov/nepal-earthquake/fy15/fs01

http://americanepalmedicalfoundation.com/

http://www.unicef.org/media/media_81691.html