Compassionate people of the world....I love Geology....but as fascinating as earthquakes are, they really do suck balls for the people unfortunate enough to live on the surface of the boundary of two massive tectonic plates, in this case the Indo-Austrailian and Asian plates. Strain on the boundaries of tectonic plates is the reason we have the Himalayan mountain range in the first place, but unlike 50 million years ago when the Himalayas were first formed, today we have settlements and people living in the mountains as well as climbing them.
In response to the horrific earthquakes in Nepal in 2015, the Parentals are off on a new mission to help rebuild homes destroyed by the 2015 quake that completely flattened whole villages, killed thousands and affected millions. This will be done through the company Ace the Himalaya, more information of which can be found at their website.
Anyhoo, as I wrote the piece that went along with their fundraising campaign, I figured I might as well just copy and paste what I wrote for their GoFundMe campaign. :)
Roy and Gail Cooper became very fond of Nepal and its people after their trek to Everest Base Camp in October 2012. The Nepalese people made this trek possible with their amazing assistance on the trek and Roy and Gail developed a strong affection towards their people.
On the 25th April 2015, Nepal was hit with the most devastating natural disaster since the 1934 Nepal-Bihar Earthquake. An earthquake that would prove to be the deadliest day in recorded history to strike Mount Everest. Also known as the ‘Gorka Earthquake’, over 8,000 people were killed with several thousand injured and millions affected. A major aftershock on the 12th May led to another 200 deaths with a further 2,500 injured.
This level of devastation would be difficult for any country to recover from, but for one such as Nepal where people already struggle to get by; the past year has been absolutely horrendous. Many villages in the region were completely flattened and families have been forced to spend their time since living in temporary shelters.
Roy and Gail are currently in Nepal to take part in rebuilding a family home and whilst they are away, I am raising money for them to present to the village at the end of their trip. They left on Friday and travelled to Kathmandu before taking the incredibly dusty and bumpy 9-hour journey to the Gorkha region. Their guide Iran has been really friendly and very informative. En-route to the Gorkha region they have been stopping at a few of the worst hit villages in the earthquake zone so as to see the true level of devastation that this earthquake caused. Almost a year on and the air is still grey....even in the hotel in Kathmandu.
They are working in the village as I type this, and are sleeping in a tent in someone's garden and living very basically, which I guess is a great way to appreciate what these people have went through, to a little extent at least. Despite living with so little, the villagers have all been really lovely. :)
Approximately £250 each of their total holiday cost will go towards materials but it takes approx £3600 to build a nice strong house for a family.
They have travelled to the Gorkha district of Nepal to help build a home for Chitra Bahadur and his family.
“Chitra Bahadur lives in Ward No 6 Ratamate village of Arupokhari Village Development Committee (VDC) in Gorkha district. His family of 4 includes he himself, his wife, daughter and son. He is the only one in the family to earn something as his son is away from home and doesn’t have an income to help the family. He is a poor farmer who earns very little from his farming and doing things here and there. There is no one to help him. He completely lost his house during the earthquake and now lives in a temporary shelter which he built from Rs 15,000 (£105).”
The more money Team Cooper raise, the more they will be able to help both Chitra and his family build a safe, strong home. Depending on how much they raise, it might be possible to help other families as well.
At this time, there is no closing date, but the quicker money is raised, the faster Team Cooper can help contribute as much as possible to the vital rebuild of the Bahadur family’s village.
Roy and Gail would love to be able to present a collection of as many donations as possible from compassionate individuals to the Bahadur family and their village, no matter how big or small. Whilst they are away, along with the GoFundMe campaign, my sister Cat and I area also collecting donations and will be having a raffle in our pub in Arbroath, The Fisherman's Inn. All donations are gratefully appreciated. :)
You can follow the rebuild progress from their trip on Team Cooper's Adventures on Facebook, as well as on here. www.facebook.com/CoopersMountainAdventures.
Huge thanks to everyone that helps us with our goal. Jennifer xox
