Some of you may know that my wife Linda and I were in Nepal two years ago when the massive earthquake struck. We saw at first hand the devastation and the effect it had on people in some of the remote rural areas as well as the more urbanised areas around Kathmandu. Since then the charity which we support – The Didi Foundation – has been running a number of projects aimed at helping Nepal get back on its feet. This is in addition to the Children’s Home and the Women’s Centre which the Didi Foundation originally set up.
Linda recently went back to Nepal with a group of women from Didi to visit our projects over there and to take some much-needed supplies. We have had three new projects in Nepal since the earthquake:
* Rebuilding a school in the remote rural village of Ramechhap
* Supporting a school for deaf children in another rural area – Sindhuli
* Supporting a school for children from lower caste families at Bhaktapur, near Kathmandu
As you can see, one of our main focusses is on education, especially for children from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds. We strongly believe that education is the path to a better future and is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty for the children of Nepal.
Over the past two years we have had a number of fundraisers in aid of these projects and Linda and her friends were able to take lots of really useful educational supplies to these schools. We would like to thank all our friends in the Ourimbah Vet Hospital family who supported our fundraising efforts.
The Didi group received a really warm welcome in Nepal. People are genuinely grateful for the help we have been able to provide. In many areas there has not been much rebuilding after the earthquake, partly because of the lack of resources and the sheer enormity of the task and also because many of the worst affected areas are very remote and access is extremely difficult. Being able to visit these devastated communities and to give them practical help to rebuild their lives is truly appreciated.
If you would like to learn more about the Didi Foundation, visit our website didifoundation.org.au or find us on Facebook.