...and in Nepal, well there is a lot happening, but it is certainly isn't snow!
(pictured below: School Rebuilding Phase 1 Starts in the next 10 days!! We will be keeping you updated on this progress!!)
Hello Dear Supporters and Happy New Year!
We hope you had great time with family and friends over the holiday, and that you got to also have some quiet time to reflect on the year that was, and the year that now is.
2015 was a tough year for Nepal. The April earthquake was devastating killing over 8,000 people and leaving a million children without a school. And now, new reports are coming out that the full pressure was not relieved in that earthquake and that
a larger earthquake (yes, larger) is seen as likely for the Gorkha region in the coming years. Fortunately, Gorkha is of the regions we are building new earthquake resistant schools, and this is another incentive to get this done as quickly as possible.
On top of the earthquake fears and realities, a political disagreement between India and Nepal has resulted in a blockade now in it's 4th month, that restricts vitals like fuel and medicine from reaching across Nepal borders. There is much frustration both with the Nepali government, seemingly not doing enough to resolve this, and with the Indian government creating a means for this to happen. Again, the Nepali people are dealing with major life challenges out of their control. There are murmurs about an agreement coming soon, so let's keep our fingers crossed that these murmurs become action soon!
If you're spending a cozy day inside shopping on AMAZON, don't forget to sign on through
www.smile.amazon.com. Your purchase is the exact same price and product on your end, and Amazon donates to Kids of Kathmandu when you select us as your benefiting charity. It's that easy! Let Amazon do the donating for you!!
In the Press: School Rebuilding
Happily, the design community has taken a great interest in our school rebuilding efforts and partnership with SHoP architects. The end of the year showed a great number of articles and discussion about the work, now in progress! To read more about what this school rebuilding thing is all about, check out these articles!
Mid year test scores have come out, and we have a great group of kids who excelled this year. Many of these kids are individually sponsored by you, and we will be sending personal notes to each of you to tell you about your sponsored child and their scores!
If you would like to sponsor a child, the sponsorship year starts now. $750 per year or $63 per month pays for all food and education for one child, plus a way to communicate with them and build a personal relationship over time. See where your money goes with a name attached!
We will be collecting letters in February for sponsored children as well, so look out for a note about that. Thank you to everyone who is on board with us for these individual sponsorships! It means a lot to us, to the kids, and hopefully for your family as well.
