May 9, 2015

Costa Mesa, Ca.

Dear Family & Friends:

The situation in Nepal gets more desperate with each passing day. The death toll is now over 7,500, and this number will continue to rise as more remote villages are reached and search and recovery efforts are intensified. Now, there is growing concern about the spread of disease, including cholera, as thousands of dead bodies and animals have not been discovered, buried or cremated, and many people are sleeping outdoors in unsanitary conditions, with no shelter, other than a flimsy, leaking tarp or tent, and no source of safe drinking water. Within 30-days, the monsoon season will arrive, bringing even more brutal weather that will magnify the suffering.

I have received many inquiries from generous friends who want to make a donation to help relieve the suffering. I thank all of you for this outpouring of support. I must confess this is all new to me, and I don’t have ready answers to all of your questions. But, I have done a little research, and I want to share it with you now.

Regrettably, I cannot currently recommend any donation to a Nepali governmental agency as these funds may not find their way to the people of Nepal. I have listed below some of the agencies that I believe can be trusted. They are not listed in order of priority, but solely for your consideration. I don’t know if donations to these agencies are tax deductible. You can make this inquiry if this is important to you. Of course, the list is not exclusive, as there are lots of great charities trying to help. If you have a suggestion, please pass it along to me.

I hope you will all consider a donation to help the people of Nepal. I have visited this country 8 times in the last 9 years. The people are poor in material possessions, but rich in love, peace, charity and spirituality. They welcome all visitors with open arms. They deeply need our prayers and support in this time of national and individual calamity.

Bill

                                                                                 Nepal Earthquake Relief Organizations*

The Juniper Fund. http://www.thejuniperfund.org/overview/. The Juniper Fund was started by David Morton and Melissa Arnot in order to address an unmet obligation they witnessed through their work as guides in the world’s great mountains. The Juniper Fund provides assistance to individuals, families and communities in underserved countries adversely impacted by their work for the mountain-based adventure industry. The Juniper Fund is active in the relief effort in Nepal.

UNICEF. https://www.unicefusa.org/mission. UNICEF does whatever it takes to save and protect the world’s most vulnerable children. UNICEF is working to meet the immediate needs of children and families in Nepal after the region’s worst earthquake in 80 years.

Lhomi Kids’ Care Orphanage. This is the orphanage in Kathmandu my family supports. Here is a message I recently received from Guru Bhote, the house father: “We have an important prayer request for more tents. We still can feel the shaking of the earthquake. Many of the children are still living in the tents. We need 3 more tents. Also, we had a well for water, but it needs to be dug dipper. Please do pray for us.” Lhomi Kids Care has no bank account, so donations must be made through a Western Union money transfer. It can be transferred online. Here are the details: Guru Bhote, Kathmandu, 9841245757 [gurulhomi@gmail.com] I completed a money transfer recently, and it worked fine, with no transfer fee.

Save the Children. https://nepal.savethechildren.net/about-us. STC has been operating in Nepal since 1976. STC programs improve the lives of children in Nepal. One week from the deadly earthquake in Nepal, STC warns that nearly a third of a million children face months sleeping out in harsh conditions after their houses were destroyed. The charity is warning that in the most remote mountainous regions, only reachable currently by helicopter, children and babies are sleeping outdoors without any protection from the cold nighttime temperatures and heavy rainfall.

The Himalayan Stove Project. http://himalayanstoveproject.causevox.com/ In cooperation with Rotary International Clubs and individual Rotarians and a generous global donor community, the HSP is making a difference in helping to ease the suffering and help people begin the process of normalizing their lives. Your donations will help us provide immediate earthquake relief.

Apa Sherpa Foundation. http://apasherpafoundation.org/donations/. Apa just returned from Thame with heartbreaking news: Every house is destroyed. All provisions are under the rubble. They have no shelter, food or clothing. Our main priority is getting shelter, food and blankets to Thame. Please keep the people of Thame in your prayers. Apa is a good friend and holds the record for the most ascents of Mt. Everest

Mercy Corps.

http://www.mercycorps.org/articles/nepal/follow-mercy-corps-earthquake-response-nepal. Since the massive Nepal earthquake struck near Kathmandu on April 25, Mercy Corps’ team on the ground has been working tirelessly to address the urgent needs of survivors. Historic buildings and entire villages crumbled to the ground, and people are sleeping outside, too terrified by continued aftershocks to return to severely damaged homes.

International Medical Corps. https://internationalmedicalcorps.org. International Medical Corps is widely recognized as a pre-eminent first responder with a global reach, delivering humanitarian relief to individuals and communities in need for more than three decades. Such work depends on trained, experienced personnel, and we maintain an active roster of experts with skills in emergency response operations. Combined with pre-positioned stocks of essential supplies, and ongoing partnerships with both international and local aid groups, we maintain the needed surge capacity to respond to emergencies in the most challenging environments, regardless of scale or geographic location. IMC is active in the Nepal relief effort.

Paul Fejtec. I will be attempting the single-day bike “Race Against the Sky” on August 15 and will be riding to support the Challenged Athletes Foundation and the people of Nepal.  I am asking you to support me by making a tax-deductible donation to CAF through this link: https://shar.es/1pO3AU For every dollar raised, Denise and I will personally match (with no limitations) and donate to the American Himalayan Foundation, Mercy Corps and other qualified organizations with staff in Nepal who are best able to help those currently suffering.

Thame Sherpa Heritage Fund. http://www.thamesherpafund.org/#intro. Thame Sherpa Heritage Fund’s mission is to support the rebuilding and development of the Thame Valley community in a locally collaborative, culturally sensitive, sustainable, and equitable manner. We expect to implement the following goals: short-term-immediate relief through the funding and delivery of materials for temporary shelter and other supplies based on formal needs assessment; medium-term-building an operationally and financially sound platform for reconstruction and development with grassroots support; and long-term-achieve higher standards of safety and quality of life in Thame Valley through the informed reconstruction of village buildings and monuments of cultural heritage.

*The mission statements come from the organizations

Orphans sleeping outside in Kathmandu (photo courtesy of Guru Bhote)

Orphan in Kathmandu (photo courtesy of Guru Bhote)

Polluted well in Kathmandu (photo courtesy of Guru Bhote)

Polluted water (photo courtesy of Guru Bhote)

Collapsed home in Thame (photo courtesy of Dr. Mingma Tshering)

Seeking shelter in Thame (photo courtesy of Dr. Mingma Tshering)

Tarp tent in Thame (photo courtesy of Dr. Mingma Tshering)

Collapsed homes in Thame (photo courtesy of Dr. Mingma Tshering)

Collapsed home in Thame (photo courtesy of Mingma Nuru)