ANOTHER POST OF EMAIL SENT TO MY MAILING LIST WITH AN UPDATE ON THE RELIEF PROCESS...
Subject: rebuilding Nepal
Date: 20 May 2015 10:03:02 GMT+05:45
Greetings,
My global community has been commending me and my renegade team for the work we are doing, but to be honest, pretty much everyone I know here in Nepal is doing everything they can to help bring relief to those in need - from small NGOs to independent groups of people. There are so many missions and projects being born out of this disaster. In the face of such devastation, people are doing what they can. And no matter how big or small the endeavour, every effort does make a difference to the people it reaches.
For me, for us, my amazing and motley group of friends that have come together and inadvertently become this renegade team, things are still developing. Initially the funds we raised were used to support various missions to different VDCs to distribute supplies to those in dire need. After the initial burst of supporting these short term solutions, we focused our efforts on the shelter and sanitation needs that were ongoing:
Between us, we've now raised over $40,ooo - although the flurry of small donations has subsided, there are many people - friends, friends of friends, or even random connections who have been told that their donations are well directed to us - who are raising money in their communities, holding events and coming up with larger amounts to send to us towards our ongoing efforts.
We've distributed 3500 tarps to give shelter to thousands of people.
We have built close to 150 toilets across the valley.
what now?
Our two projects Helter Shelter and To Da Loo are evolving as the need is shifting.
Helter Shelter
We are moving into an exciting new stage of our shelter project. We've distributed over 3500 tarps for immediate and temporary shelter throughout the crucial crisis time.- either directly donating to people, subsidizing and passing them on for less than cost or simply distributing to people who have the funds but were struggling to find supplies.
Now we are moving into more sustainable shelter ideas and our research, budgeting and planning are coming to fruition. We are collaborating with a number of people to build affordable, sustainable, and earthquake resistant structures using the earthbag technique. We are going to build our first prototype house in the coming weeks. There is a big group forming of people interested in this innovative technology and everyone is coming together to work more efficiently and collaboratively.
To Da Loo
With so many people displaced after the quakes here in Nepal, people are sleeping in makeshift camps across the valley and throughout the affected districts. Access to sanitary toilets was a top priority to stave off the risk of disease. Our teams have built close to 150 toilets so far and although the number of volunteers has dwindled as people have gone or need to return to their lives, we still have a number of teams working who continue to go out into communities to build toilets, getting the local people to help. As we start our longer term shelter building projects, To Da Loo will work in conjunction, building toilets alongside houses.
Both schemes have proved very popular with the people we are serving and our donors as they are simple and effective. We are working in conjunction with more and more people as we pool resources and ideas about how to start rebuilding Nepal for the future. The devastation of so many rural areas is heartbreaking. Stories of whole villages in ruins are too many to even comprehend. The magnitude of the work ahead is staggering. What is heartening is the amount of people diligently working to rebuild their country. We are simply a small part of that movement and the donations we are receiving will go to exactly that.
Thank you once again to all who have supported our efforts. Your donations are not going to me or Michael or Kishor - they are going to Nepal.
namaste.
miranda
HOW TO DONATE
PayPal: mirandamortonyap@gmail.com
UK & US residents can donate directly to UK or US accounts - email mirandamortonyap@gmail.com for deets
(donations sent to either account are currently not incurring transaction fees)
DK residents can donate directly to this bank account: 5033-7704121
Subject: rebuilding Nepal
Date: 20 May 2015 10:03:02 GMT+05:45
Greetings,
My global community has been commending me and my renegade team for the work we are doing, but to be honest, pretty much everyone I know here in Nepal is doing everything they can to help bring relief to those in need - from small NGOs to independent groups of people. There are so many missions and projects being born out of this disaster. In the face of such devastation, people are doing what they can. And no matter how big or small the endeavour, every effort does make a difference to the people it reaches.
For me, for us, my amazing and motley group of friends that have come together and inadvertently become this renegade team, things are still developing. Initially the funds we raised were used to support various missions to different VDCs to distribute supplies to those in dire need. After the initial burst of supporting these short term solutions, we focused our efforts on the shelter and sanitation needs that were ongoing:
Between us, we've now raised over $40,ooo - although the flurry of small donations has subsided, there are many people - friends, friends of friends, or even random connections who have been told that their donations are well directed to us - who are raising money in their communities, holding events and coming up with larger amounts to send to us towards our ongoing efforts.
We've distributed 3500 tarps to give shelter to thousands of people.
We have built close to 150 toilets across the valley.
what now?
Our two projects Helter Shelter and To Da Loo are evolving as the need is shifting.
Helter Shelter
We are moving into an exciting new stage of our shelter project. We've distributed over 3500 tarps for immediate and temporary shelter throughout the crucial crisis time.- either directly donating to people, subsidizing and passing them on for less than cost or simply distributing to people who have the funds but were struggling to find supplies.
Now we are moving into more sustainable shelter ideas and our research, budgeting and planning are coming to fruition. We are collaborating with a number of people to build affordable, sustainable, and earthquake resistant structures using the earthbag technique. We are going to build our first prototype house in the coming weeks. There is a big group forming of people interested in this innovative technology and everyone is coming together to work more efficiently and collaboratively.
To Da Loo
With so many people displaced after the quakes here in Nepal, people are sleeping in makeshift camps across the valley and throughout the affected districts. Access to sanitary toilets was a top priority to stave off the risk of disease. Our teams have built close to 150 toilets so far and although the number of volunteers has dwindled as people have gone or need to return to their lives, we still have a number of teams working who continue to go out into communities to build toilets, getting the local people to help. As we start our longer term shelter building projects, To Da Loo will work in conjunction, building toilets alongside houses.
Both schemes have proved very popular with the people we are serving and our donors as they are simple and effective. We are working in conjunction with more and more people as we pool resources and ideas about how to start rebuilding Nepal for the future. The devastation of so many rural areas is heartbreaking. Stories of whole villages in ruins are too many to even comprehend. The magnitude of the work ahead is staggering. What is heartening is the amount of people diligently working to rebuild their country. We are simply a small part of that movement and the donations we are receiving will go to exactly that.
Thank you once again to all who have supported our efforts. Your donations are not going to me or Michael or Kishor - they are going to Nepal.
namaste.
miranda
HOW TO DONATE
PayPal: mirandamortonyap@gmail.com
UK & US residents can donate directly to UK or US accounts - email mirandamortonyap@gmail.com for deets
(donations sent to either account are currently not incurring transaction fees)
DK residents can donate directly to this bank account: 5033-7704121
