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THANK YOU to all who have given financial support or volunteer service hours to the LHA Nepal Aid Project!

LHA was honored to be welcomed into Nepali communities during the struggle to recover from two devastating earthquakes which took the lives of more than 8,000 people, injured tens of thousands more, and destroyed countless homes. It will be a long road to recovery for the people of Nepal. Every dollar raised and every volunteer service hour contributed goes a long way towards relieving suffering. The following is a summary of LHA’s Nepal Aid efforts thus far:

Monsoon Relief + Future Construction Materials

LHA Nepal Aid project manager Pema Chime oversaw the completion of early stage projects that happened prior to the monsoon. Monsoon season was in full swing when the second wave of LHA volunteers arrived in early July. In many outlying regions, homeless families had no shelter from the downpours. A small LHA monsoon relief team assembled quickly to help provide immediate shelter, in connection with the Dolpa Tulku Foundation, which provided villagers with sheet metal to use at first for emergency shelters, and later for the construction of permanent homes. With this particular project LHA supplied enough material to assist 110 families.

Village of Lukla, Mt. Everest Region

A referral from LHA consultant, Ven. Tsering Phuntsok, sent the volunteer team to the remote village of Lukla in Solu Kombu, where Ven. Lobun Jigme, a friend of LHA, is the abbot of a small monastery, social worker and ayurvedic medical doctor. The monastery is home to 17 monks all under the age of 18. They were sleeping in tents when we arrived; their dormitory and kitchen had been destroyed. Community leaders, a contractor, and builders helped us to determine the scope of work necessary to get the small monastery back up and running. Two community members agreed to donate additional land for expansion, and others agreed to support the labor. Some building materials had already been collected, and LHA purchased and transported the rest. LHA team members also hiked out to small communities nearby to determine what was needed most, and to offer ideas, plans, and some of the supplies needed to build earthquake-resistant, energy-efficient homes. 46 families received our help.

Collaboration with ASIA for the People of Yarsa

LHA was contacted by a representative of the Association for International Solidarity in Asia (ASIA), an international nonprofit working in Nepal since 1996. LHA joined ASIA to provide emergency shelters for the village of Yarsa in the Rasuwa District, which had not yet begun to receive aid other than food and medical supplies. LHA purchased sheet metal for 179 families. ASIA transported it and sent staff to teach how to use the materials most effectively. For information on ASIA’s work in Nepal, visit www.asia-ngo.org/en.

Langtang Community – Total Devastation

Kathmandu is spotted with makeshift tarp tent communities, as thousands seek shelter, like the people from a small village in the Langtang region, where 178 people died, many more were hurt, and every home and building plus most farms and livestock were destroyed. Survivors barely escaped with the clothes on their backs. Langtang community leaders asked LHA to supply shoes for the children and elders. The survivors included 256 children, many orphaned. A few children were still at the camp but most were spread out into different boarding schools across Kathmandu. The LHA team sought out survivors (and their shoe sizes!) and got new shoes for all 256 children and 17 remaining elders. In the process, the LHA team helped form a clear picture of exactly who survived and where they were, collecting data now available to other aid organizations helping this community. 

Full Circle From New Orleans to Nepal!

Recalling that the government of Nepal sent $50,000 in aid to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, an LHA volunteer team organized and hosted a benefit in the botanical gardens of City Park to aid Nepal. The event, including music, food, cocktails, and an auction, raised more than $53,000! Click here for a short video about the success of this fundraiser. LHA continues working on earthquake relief projects as donations come in for Nepal.

roof kids
Corrugated metal LHA donated sheltered  Nepalese during monsoon season and then was incorporated into rebuilding their homes.

Lukla monks
Young monks in the remote Mt. Everest region had their
monastery and dormitories restored with funds raised by LHA.

Pema Chime
Transporting supplies: Project Manager Pema Chime.

tentsThousands of people seek shelter in makeshift tarp communities in Kathmandu in Kathmandu while awaiting help to re-build their homes and villages.

collecting data
LHA helped to collect data used to locate and assist
earthquake survivors, including many orphans.