7.9 EARTHQUAKE DISASTER - New School Construction

We first arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal visiting the large city structures with various degrees of damage to total collapse of buildings. Next, we spent an entire day by bus going through a bumpy, dusty and muddy roads to get to the small village called Khalte-9.  Upon arrival, it was very evident that this tiny rural community village was really destroyed by the natural disaster on April 25, 2015.  All the way to this small village we had seen how this earthquake affected all of the forgotten villages because no one really seemed to care, neither the authorities nor organizations were aware of these rural inhabitants.  It appeared that the help and support goes to urban areas and that no one really cares about the small villages that were affected by this disaster too. The Inti Raymi Fund always thinks about taking big risks and going to the extremely affected places in the world. As always, we went to this small village to see how we could help.  The needs we found were endless, but we did our best with what we had.

DISCUSSIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS

Upon arrival into Khalte-9, we went around the village to see how this earthquake affected their community.  It was deeply saddening and broke our hearts to see all the houses destroyed and some about to collapse.  In contrast, at the same time it was rewarding because even after this devastation, the community had smiles on their faces and how rewarding it was to see how much they help each other in times of need.  This is something you rarely see anymore, people suffering with their own urgent needs but yet they still welcome you and receive you into their homes with a big smile.

After touring the village, we asked the community of roughly 300 to gather so we could explain our "Sharing Philosophy",  then listen to the ideas from everyone in the Khalte-9 Village.  We always focus on the community, rarely dealing with leaders of the community. We believe the community knows their own needs best. Additionally, we mainly focus on the ideas which come from the women in the villages especially the elderly women who have wisdom, tenure and family there and community knowledge but unfortunately they are rarely listened to.

To some, our approach may appear a bit strange, but our way of sharing is very effective because we always listen to everyone, providing Respect & Dignity to everyone equally, allowing them to determine what is important to them.  In Khalte-9, we discussed and explained why we came to their village, we explained and made it clear that the project they were about to do, is self-determined by everyone in the village.

The Inti Raymi Fund never decides what we are going to do in advance for a community we visit, because it is their project not ours.  These are their decisions and their gift.  We are there to listen, share any ideas we may have or stories of the many ways we’ve helped in other places, then share our money with the community so they may better their situation in life.  

WHAT THE KHALTE-9 COMMUNITY DECIDED THEY NEEDED MOST

After a day of visiting and discussing with the community members, their seemingly endless options, they decided unanimously to rebuild their community school because it was in great risk of collapse and injuring many of the community’s children.

After the earthquake, many of the classrooms collapsed, or were in danger of collapse.  These buildings were "a ticking time-bomb", putting in danger the lives of the younger generation of Khalte-9. The community members unanimously decided this reconstruction of the school was the most urgent need of the village as a whole.  Just to clarify, the Inti Raymi Fund arrived with money and 2 questions…”What do you need?”, and “How can we help you?”  We did not steer the community one way or another, they all knew what they wanted and what was most important to them.  This unconditional, respectful sharing approach wins the hearts of every community we visit; however, most Westerners cannot grasp this “letting go of control” paradigm so ingrained in traditional philanthropy.  It is less important to get it right, as it is about rebuilding self-confidence and regaining Dignity & Respect for each community member.  This is our belief we follow all over the world.

Their decision was their decision, so it was a good one!  They decided to invest back into their village through the education of their children, betting that education will provide a brighter future for their kids.  Look how rewarding it is to let go of the traditional maniacal control within the western philanthropic model. As a side note, they also said their government indicated it would be 3-4 years before they could get to their community and rebuild their school. The Nepali government has a reputation of being notoriously corrupt, and although the government reportedly received over $3.5 billion in foreign aid due to this disaster, a year after, little progress had been made in their country's restoration. It's no wonder why the community opted for self-help measures to rebuild the school. 

DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED TRUSTEE

The entire village unanimously had all the confidence and trust in a young man named Palman.  Chimu, our Director, personally met Palman during the 2015 Mt. Everest climbing season when Chimu was helped by Palman during the subsequent evacuation process and was impressed with his maturity, kindness and integrity.  The two of them discussed Palman's village during their interaction, which led to the commencement of the project in his particular village.

During the teams’ visit, Palman was very helpful and demonstrated himself as someone who really cared about his entire village. Our team spent over a week with Palman from arrival in Kathmandu onto this village spending all their time together. In addition to the members of the community having the confidence in Palman, the Inti Raymi Fund team gained tremendous trust and confidence during their time with Palman; however, our opinion is always secondary to the community’s opinion and their final direction to elect who they trust to hold community funds.

At the request of the community, Palman opened a bank account to protect the initial $25,000 contributed by Chimu and the additional $2,024, which was generously donated by several friends of Chimu.  The project could not commence immediately due to the excessive rainstorms called Monsoons, which arrive annually from the Indian Ocean.  The project commenced roughly 120 days later.  In Nepal is very difficult to transport materials to smaller rural villages, since all rural roads are steep and narrow, 4-wheel drive dirt roads and the Monsoon rains only exacerbated or prohibited delivery of materials.

The $2,024 which was donated, was designated to buy necessary supplies in an immediately adjacent village next to Kaulte-9. At the suggestion of Palman and others in the community, they felt their $25,000 was a huge amount; therefore, they all agreed to share with others less fortunate nearby.

We wish them the best!

From the Inti Raymi Fund team of Chaski, Ashley & Connor

Accounting footnote:

Prior to this expedition while still at Everest Base Camp during rescue & triage, Chimu contributed $3,000 towards several family’s reconstruction needs in other villages in addition to his $25,000 donation into this community above.  This is why is shows $28,000 in total reconstruction support.