Building Kanchi and her grandsons a house
Donation protected
Hello,
My name is John Lancaster. I am a contractor/ builder from the San Francisco Bay Area, and I am passionate about helping to provide people with a safe place to call home. I have volunteered with Habitat for Humanity for over 20 years. This year, however, I will be taking my volunteer effort to Nepal once again, where I intend to return some of the kindness that was bestowed upon me and my family three years ago during my previous build, as well as when I traveled there many years ago with my friend Dave on a trek.
As you know, Nepal was hit by two very serious earthquakes nearly 4 years ago, which killed close to 15,000 people and flattened many villages. When I heard about how many 100’s of thousands of people were still living in tents 4 years later, I began to search for a deserving family whose home was destroyed and who needed help. I was hoping to find a family that, without our efforts, would “fall through the cracks” and never have a safe place to live. Last week my prayers were answered when I got word through a friend in Nepal that she had found such a family!
This year I plan on building a small, simple, safe house for Kanchi, a 56 year old Grandmother raising her two grandsons alone after the tragic passing of her immediate family. (see her heart-wrenching story below) I will be leaving April 6th for two weeks, during which time I will travel to her fairly remote village and coordinate the building of her new home. My ultimate fundraising goal this year will be about the same as last time, $8000.00, which will cover all the costs associated with building her new home!
Thank you for your generosity,
John
The Story of Kanchi
Kanchi Mijar 55, one of the residents of Panchkhal, a village which was heavily affected by the earthquake, was doing her housework when the earthquake struck. She ran towards her grandsons, grabbed them, and left the house in search of an open space. She could only see her house crack open and the roof fall in.
Kanchi used to live with her husband after both of their sons got married and started living on their own. Soon after her husband committed suicide, leaving her on her own, her youngest son also committed suicide, leaving behind two sons, 12 and 8 years-old, and a wife. When the earthquake hit Nepal in 2015, Kanchi lost her daughter- in-law as well and had to take responsibility of her two grandsons.
Being old and weak, there are few income generating activities that Kanchi can do. If called upon by her neighbors, she helps with household chores, agricultural activities and unskilled mason work for little pay or sometimes even for a fistful of rice. Apart from this, she is involved in simple livestock farming to provide for the needs of her grandsons, which amounts to two meals a day and education expenses.
Kanchi says it’s hard, as she is single and no longer has a youthful backbone for physical work, but she is happy that she has her grandsons with her. She is looking after their education and basic needs and adds that she is primarily living for them.
My name is John Lancaster. I am a contractor/ builder from the San Francisco Bay Area, and I am passionate about helping to provide people with a safe place to call home. I have volunteered with Habitat for Humanity for over 20 years. This year, however, I will be taking my volunteer effort to Nepal once again, where I intend to return some of the kindness that was bestowed upon me and my family three years ago during my previous build, as well as when I traveled there many years ago with my friend Dave on a trek.
As you know, Nepal was hit by two very serious earthquakes nearly 4 years ago, which killed close to 15,000 people and flattened many villages. When I heard about how many 100’s of thousands of people were still living in tents 4 years later, I began to search for a deserving family whose home was destroyed and who needed help. I was hoping to find a family that, without our efforts, would “fall through the cracks” and never have a safe place to live. Last week my prayers were answered when I got word through a friend in Nepal that she had found such a family!
This year I plan on building a small, simple, safe house for Kanchi, a 56 year old Grandmother raising her two grandsons alone after the tragic passing of her immediate family. (see her heart-wrenching story below) I will be leaving April 6th for two weeks, during which time I will travel to her fairly remote village and coordinate the building of her new home. My ultimate fundraising goal this year will be about the same as last time, $8000.00, which will cover all the costs associated with building her new home!
Thank you for your generosity,
John
The Story of Kanchi
Kanchi Mijar 55, one of the residents of Panchkhal, a village which was heavily affected by the earthquake, was doing her housework when the earthquake struck. She ran towards her grandsons, grabbed them, and left the house in search of an open space. She could only see her house crack open and the roof fall in.
Kanchi used to live with her husband after both of their sons got married and started living on their own. Soon after her husband committed suicide, leaving her on her own, her youngest son also committed suicide, leaving behind two sons, 12 and 8 years-old, and a wife. When the earthquake hit Nepal in 2015, Kanchi lost her daughter- in-law as well and had to take responsibility of her two grandsons.
Being old and weak, there are few income generating activities that Kanchi can do. If called upon by her neighbors, she helps with household chores, agricultural activities and unskilled mason work for little pay or sometimes even for a fistful of rice. Apart from this, she is involved in simple livestock farming to provide for the needs of her grandsons, which amounts to two meals a day and education expenses.
Kanchi says it’s hard, as she is single and no longer has a youthful backbone for physical work, but she is happy that she has her grandsons with her. She is looking after their education and basic needs and adds that she is primarily living for them.
Organizer
John Lancaster
Organizer
Oakland, CA