TrekkingPartners on the Nepal disaster

via email …

Dear Trekkers,

It’s been ten days since a large-scale earthquake shook Nepal. It’s been a hard time for everyone, with the loss of family members, homes, entire savings, and historical landmarks. On the other hand, it’s brought the people of Nepal together in the face of adversity and strengthened bonds with those from outside Nepal who offered aid.

Still, with the death toll estimated at 7500, along with 10,000 injured and 1.4 million in need of food assistance, there is still a need for assistance.

We’ve spent the last few days compiling a list of reliable, effective groups working hard to bring support to the people of Nepal. If you’re able, please consider donating time, money, or volunteering via the links below.

What’s Needed Now

• Remote villages are still in need of relief;
• Because of sanitation problems, there is a high risk of disease;
• Lack of electricity and water supply;
• The monsoon season is a month away, making shelter an urgnet need;
• Basic necessities like food, water purification tablets, medicine, blankets, and tents are still needed;
• Support for the long-term rebuilding of homes, villages, and historical landmarks.

Effective Ways To Donate

If you are in a position to donate, here is a list of local, grassroot initiatives working hard to provide relief. By donating to these groups, your money will go directly to the people that need it most via local channels mobilized by local experts:

• Rebuild Langtang Campaign Langtang village, in particular, will need rebuilding support after the first weeks have passed. After first medical care has been delivered it will take large efforts to re-establish community life back in the valley.
• Lokesh Todi’s Relief Fund to support and sustain the work of local NGOs and first responders on the ground.
• Mountain People’s Initiative to provide assistance to those in need around Kathmandu. They’ve set up a temporary relief centre in Thamel functioning as shelter/store/aid post for local Galdunga people.
• Tsum Nubri Relief & Recovery Program set-up by the local people based in Kathmandu.
• Sherpa Gear’s CrowdRise Campaign. 100% of your donation will go for immediate relief on the ground through our Paldorje Education Fund network, already set up to benefit the children of Sherpa families in remote villages.
• Tripureshwor Village Aid Campaign: raising money to distribute rice to 300 families in Dhading Region (close to the epicenter).
• GlobalGiving’s Campaign to help address the immediate needs for food, fuel, clean water, hygiene products, and shelter. Once initial relif work is complete, remaining funds will transition to support longer-term recovery efforts run by loca, vetted organizations.
• Karma Foundation is a non-profit branch of socialtours & Karma Coffee working on responsible philanthropy disbursement to projects in Nepal, now for Quake relief.
• Seva Foundation is working to supply tents to those in need of shelter.
• To Da Loo Community toilet builders initiative in the wake of the earthquake. Toilets or latrine pits are raised in densely populated communities.
• Helter Shelter Shelter relief effort for those left homeless.

Other Ways To Help

There will be long-term rebuilding projects that will need volunteer support. If you’re planning a trip to Nepal in the future, consider volunteering as an option. When the media spotlight shifts to another problem in the world, there will still be people in Nepal working to rebuild and regain what was lost.

Continued News, Updates, Photos…

• Kathmandu Living Labs has been crowdsourcing technologies and social platforms to map the relief effort and access to local villages.
• Gallery of photos taken by Lokesh Todi who has been documenting the aftermath of the Nepal earthquake on the ground.
• Photographer Thomas Kelly is actively documenting the aftermath of massive Earthquake that rattled Nepal on 25th of April, 2015.
• Code for Nepal’s map of reported deaths, injuries, and houses damaged.
• Nepal Earthquake 2015 Facebook Community: a voluntary page run by Nepalis based abroad to share information.
• Reddit Nepal Earthquake Page A comprehensive lists of links and resources relating to the earthquake in Nepal.
• Langtang Reference Map showing the villages of the Langtang Region along with on-the-ground status updates.
• Video showing the devastation in Langtang

Please share these links with others whom you feel can help. Thanks for your support, and hope to see you back in Nepal someday soon.

Best wishes,
Alex
Founder | TrekkingPartners