Focus and Opportunity

We have just received pictures of the village where we will be starting our project. These photos were taken yesterday by Sova, who is the daughter of our dear family friend, Najaman.  The buildings you see here are the homes of the residents living in our village, Machchhegaun Tole.  We will be getting the pictures of the school we will be repairing very soon.

I was a little concerned that the school repair would be a smaller project than we expected, as I have heard that it may only have cracks and it has not been completely destroyed. It will need repairs done; however, at the moment, we don't know the extent of the damage.  I wanted to make sure we had the potential for a second project, if this one would require less work (and therefore, less funds) than we expected. 

Us with Bishnu and his beautiful wife! 

As a result, I called our dear friend Bishnu.  Bishnu has gained a lot of recognition over the past year because he starred in a documentary called 'Meet the Mormons', which a short clip can be seen here. However, regardless of his recent notoriety, I would have reached out for his advice as he is one of the most humble, kind, and service-minded people I know. This project is not church sponsored, but I definitely wanted to ask him questions and seek his advice about his expertise in humanitarian work.  

What a delight it was to talk to him! I hadn't seen him since Sarita's wedding and I was thrilled to hear his voice, and he seemed equally as excited to hear mine.  As expected, he gave me a wealth of information, and most importantly, he told me that he knew of 2 other districts that desperately needed school repairs. He described to me that many of the classrooms were destroyed and that a few of the schools were flattened to rubble.  I told him our vision for Hearts and Hands for Nepal and he said he would be grateful if we could look at one of the schools to rebuild as he said he was concerned for the children because they had no place to learn.  He said for now, they will be using tents until the schools are rebuilt.  

This gave me goosebumps, as it was exactly what I was hoping to find.  He will be providing me photographs of the various schools along with descriptions of the repairs that will be required.  Hearts and Hands for Nepal is thrilled by this new development as it will be wonderful to not only repair one of the schools, but also have the opportunity to provide more for the children of Nepal.  

Please stay tuned, as we will soon be having an auction of Nepali goods, and other fund raisers for this amazing project.   All proceeds will go towards Hearts and Hands for Nepal.  We are committed to ensure that all donations will go specifically towards the materials and labor to rebuild schools in Nepal.  Your $2.00 donation could pay for a brick that will further a child's education, or your $500 donation could build a wall! No donation is too small to be part of such a wonderful project like Hearts and Hands for Nepal.  

Progress….Slow….But Progress

Perspective: Top photo is of my children at a temple in Patan in 2008
The second photo is of the same temple just after the quake

As you can imagine, things move slower in Nepal in the best of circumstances. This catastrophe has caused communication and transportation to be almost impossible. That hasn't stopped us from trying to create a plan for our project. We are moving, slowly, but steady. For the execution of the project we have a few things in the works:

1. Daily contact with my favorite person in the world, Sarita.  I met Sarita when we first arrived in Nepal.  When I first met her, she didn't speak a word of English, but I knew she was something special.  Over time, after living in our home for many years, she learned to speak English very well and now lives in the US.  She is an incredible person and an inspiration in my life. Since the earthquake, she has been actively engaged in many projects to provide funds for immediate relief. She is also busy working with me to get Hearts and Hands for Nepal focused on the exact right project for rebuilding in the village. You will certainly hear her name a lot as she plays an intrigal part of this project.

Skyping and planning yesterday

2. We have been trying to assess the situation in our village. We have heard that two schools are in disrepair and at the moment, we are working on getting photos to see how much damage is made and if the schools will need to be torn down or can be extensively repaired.  Unfortunately, many of the homes there are 90% destroyed and the clean up is the main focus at the moment. 

      

A home in our village that no longer stands

                                                 

3. Sarita's family lived very close to where one of the large temples collapsed (pictured at the top of this post).  Luckily, her sister's home was spared, however for several days her family had to sleep out in the elements on a small patch of dirt/grass (maybe 1000 square feet wide).  The dirt/grass area and large tarps housed 250 people who were displaced.  One of the women there had just given birth to a child 10 days previously and food supplies were given to her first.  Sarita's sister reported there was continual heavy rain, a lot of crying, and great fear amongst the people. Mothers lost their children and families were completely displaced.  Sarita said those sleeping in this area took shifts cooking and resting.  She said when the people finally rested they were heavily asleep. Sarita's sister was building a home and her husband used some of the wood for his work to create fires to boil water that was sanitary enough to drink.  

Sarita's mother and sister at her sister's home home in Kathmandu

 My boys in 2010 where the 250 people rested during the aftermath of the quake

Another photo in the grassy area outside of Sarita's sister's home

Sarita and her sister on Sarita's wedding day

4. At least two of Sarita's family members will be involved in the Hands and Hearts for Nepal project, thus getting income for their labor and ultimately, their family.  That is why this project is so very exciting.  This effort will bless the lives of not only those who will use the structure that is built, but also families will have an income that will allow them to survive during this very difficult time.  

Progress is happening.  More will continue.