Who doesn’t love a trishaw? |
Fair enough. Makes sense to me. Disaster zone, too many people getting in the way of the vital emergency work.
Since arriving here 3 weeks ago, the time has flown by. Every day I have spent hours chatting with locals about their towns, villages and homes being destroyed by the quakes. I have spent the majority of my time working with two amazing local NGOs documenting, project planning recovery projects and strategising options for their continuing work.
volunteers to come here, get to know us, come out to our villages and see if you want to help us rebuild.’ The message I’ve heard is that they don’t want money, but they want supplies and people to invest time in their communities. Have a read of the stories on my second post on Kathmandu.
Overwhelming it seems that local solutions from and with local people appear to be what’s making the greatest impact. There are many articles and organisations that have documented this, see list below (please note however, a lot of the work done by locals remains unseen – it truly is amazing the impact of locals helping locals).
View from Thamel burbs were all is ok! |
Many buildings have been destroyed across Kathmandu and in Thamel, the tourist area. But the great majority of buildings in Thamel are still standing. And are open for business: there are ample options for accommodation and food (really, really great food – my taste buds have loved me since I arrived!). I’ve had continual access to fresh water, electricity, wifi and did I mention great food? I have been in many other districts around Kathmandu and had access to all of this too (there are obviously areas that don’t due to the destruction, but most do).
KTM |
I have experienced ‘medium’ sized earthquakes a few times since arriving. Its a weird feeling indeed to have your whole hotel building move around and with you. These secondary earthquakes haven’t caused a lot of damage in Kathmandu, but have affected some of the smaller villages outside of Kathmandu severely. And the hotels that I’ve been in still stand. And those around me.
The monsoon should have started by now. But it has not yet properly hit, so yes it will hamper the building of shelters and homes, but it does not mean that shelters and other help in affected areas are not needed. It is.
KTM |
It means that things will take longer, and be delayed. There is other work that can be done here in the meantime, like local building help around Kathmandu, project work, fundraising for various local organisations and skill sharing.
One of the fabulous brainstorming sessions we’ve had! |
Tips for making fabulous contributions when you get to Nepal:
- Get to know a little bit about Nepal before you come. Besides its beautiful mountains, Nepal is an incredibly diverse country with over 123 language and cultural groups.
- Learn some of the national language, Nepali. You can learn Nepali basics by downloading apps and practising with locals when you get here. It is much appreciated.
- Meet locals, ask what their needs are. Visit the communities, find out what they want. Understand what they are currently doing and work out ways that you can help them achieve their goals. Think like and act like it’s a long term partnership and friendship. Because, it most likely will become this.
- Be respectful to local customs and people. 3 simple things you can do:
- Don’t volunteer or give money to orphanages. Children are not tourist attractions. Importantly, 2 out of 3 orphans in Nepal are ‘paper’ orphans. This means that they have at least one or both parents alive. The majority of parents are from disadvantaged communities who are promised by convincing men that their child/ren will get an education if they give the child to the orphanage. Usually the orphanage is a money making machine getting money from unsuspecting tourists and treating the children incredibly poorly.
- If you come during the monsoon, be prepared. Be patient, know that things will take longer. Get creative and work with the Nepali villages you are helping. See what can be done in current shelters or communities. Ask Nepali communities what they need and how you could best assist them.
Be thoughtful, consultative and guided by Nepali people in all that you do! They are some of the most friendliest, kind people on the planet. Enjoy your time here, its guaranteed to be an enriching experience!
Last night street scene in Thamel |
Please come! I met a father and daughter from the States the other day in Thamel. They were trepidatious about coming at this time. They spent a week here and loved it. They enjoyed the differences between India and Nepal (they had just come from India and were enjoying a ‘break’ from the amazing crazy state that India induces!).
Thamel in Kathmandu is still a fabulous place to be, restaurants, bars, pubs, live music, great food.
9 out of the 10 National Parks are safe and able to be explored. Also, famous areas like Pokhara in Nepal were not greatly affected. The mountains, lakes and beauty await you! Its only 6 hours by bus from Kathmandu (or you can fly there!). So please come and support Nepal getting back on its feet (tourism supports around 500,000 jobs in Nepal). You are sure to have a great time!
And finally, check out #YouHikeTheyRise campaign and videos demonstrating just how beautiful and crucial your visit here is.
Articles / Sources:
‘Kopan – Helping hands’, www.fpmt.dk/kopans-thousands-of-helping-hands/, www.kopanmonastery.com/kopan-helping-hands.
‘Nepal’s aid system is broken, so these lifesavers hacked it’, www.wired.com/2015/05/nepal-earthquake-aid/
‘Himilayan Climate Initiative’ (Nepali youth driven sustainable housing initiative), www.himalayanclimate.org
‘Association of Youth Organisations in Nepal’, www.facebook.com/AyonNepal?fref=ts
‘Bhukampa Engineers’, www.bhukampa.net
‘Abari’ http://abari.org
‘Nepal Rises’, www.nepalrises.com
‘Nepal425’, www.nepalitimes.com/blogs/thebrief/2015/06/02/nepal425/.
‘GMIN, Grassroots Movement in Nepal’, www.gmin.us
‘#YouHikeTheyRise Campaign’, http://himalayanenchanter.com/youhiketheyrise/
‘Reasons why you should visit Nepal now’ http://nepaltraveladvisory.blogspot.com/2015/06/reasons-why-you-should-visit-nepal-now.html
If you are interesting in helping stop children being trafficked and getting children back to families (where they should be), consider donating to Forget Me Not: www.forgetmenot.org.au.
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