Our immediate goal:
Last night and all morning I talked to my friend in Nepal who is a doctor at Patan hospital in Kathmandu. They have been doing a lot of surgeries in the hospital with walls broken and also in tents. She has an organization with doctors, lawyers, journalists and they had a meeting and talked about us coming to provide funds and aid. They have put a team together who will help us with buying supplies (basic needs like rice, lentals, water, soap, tents and tarps etc.) in Kathmandu. They will have jeeps ready for us to leave with their team to go to the hardest hit areas wherever they can take us safely where relief supplies haven’t reached, like Sindhupalchowke, Nuwakot and sindhuli villages. This is very good news for us at www.ArunasNepalRelief.org as we hopefully can put together more funds as quickly as possible.
I am feeling more reassured, stronger and confident, because those in Nepal are twice as strong as I and have risen time and again since April 25th, 2015, when the first earthquake hit and then again on May 12th when the second one hit. I continue to be in awe of their strength and resilience!
Our long term goal:
I also have 2 other contacts with whom I will meet and assess the situation and get proposals from and see how we can help, both short and long term. One had a school in the village which was completely demolished and my other friend also has a small organization and are in the process of rebuilding Bungmati, a long term project. They are all working very hard and doing their best while being victims of the 2 earthquakes themselves and enduring continuing aftershocks. Our hats are off to them for standing so strong.
I will take videos and photos and post them on my blog, ArunasNepalRelief.org, as we get to the hard hit areas so our donors will feel directly involved and can see where their money is going.
Once I am on the ground in Nepal, I will see for myself the reality of the devastation and I will be able to get a clearer picture of our long term goals as well.
What we need help with by June, 2015:
We are still short a few thousand dollars of our immediate goal before we leave in June 2015. We pray more funds will come our way! Please spread the word as we get ready for our trip!