Local efforts to raise funds for Nepal earthquake spread throughout valley

One mountain village helping another

By Olivia Lueckemeyer

Global headlines told the story of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that ravaged Nepal last month, but for many Crested Butte locals, the tragedy hit close to home. Concern for Nepali community members and their relatives, many of whom still live in Nepal, inspired a wave of relief efforts across town by people whose own families live there and others who have traveled there.

For Laura Puckett, English teacher at Crested Butte Community School, the news of the disaster brought to mind her student Angchoti Sherpa, who moved to Colorado from Nepal just a year and a half ago.

“My initial reaction to the earthquake and the pictures of the destruction was to think of Ang and her family,” Puckett said. “I have a good relationship with her so I just kept wondering how she was doing.”

Devastated by the destruction to her village of Syangma, Ang felt compelled to help her people.

“When I first saw the news I couldn’t believe my eyes,” Ang said. “My eyes filled with tears every time I saw the news about my country and the people going through all those difficulties.”

Unsure of where to start, Ang solicited the advice of Puckett, who was happy to help her in any way possible. After considering various fundraising options, Puckett and Ang settled on GoFundMe.com, an online platform that allows the organizer to set a monetary goal and share their project through social media. Above all, it was important to Ang to oversee the project herself to ensure the money would reach her village.

“There are a lot of people and countries helping my country right now, and I’m really thankful for that,” Ang said. “But what many don’t know is that most of their money is being taken by the government before it is being used for the victims.”

According to the New York Times, aid is flooding into the capital city of Kathmandu, but many smaller, more remote villages are inaccessible, and therefore lacking the resources necessary to rebuild. Syangma, which Ang describes as nestled under the shadow of the Everest mountain region, is receiving very little organized aid, outside of what locals are doing to repair the damage.

Ang says each of the 15 homes in her village at least partially destroyed. As aftershocks continue to strike, the structural damage worsens.

“Recently, my country was hit by another aftershock that was 7.3 magnitude, and this time its epicenter was near Namche Bazar, which is very close to my village,” Ang said on her fundraising page.

To help the people of Syangma, Ang is attempting to raise $30,000, all of which would go toward buying building materials to repair homes. While she understands this is a lofty goal, Ang hopes her contribution could enable villagers to at least start the repair process.

“The amount for the donations is pretty huge, but even if we don’t meet the goal I’m going to try my best till the end,” Ang said.

Ang and Puckett did not set a deadline for their fundraiser, but the impending monsoon season in Nepal means time is running out for villagers to repair their homes. As of now, most people are living in temporary shelters.

“The people of my village have been staying in tents since the earthquake and it’s getting even more difficult for them because of the weather,” Ang said.

Puckett said while she has empathy for the people of Nepal, helping Ang was a personal mission. She wanted to give back to Ang what Ang gives to those around her every day.

“I rarely encounter someone of such exceptional character,” Puckett said. “She is extraordinary, she spreads joy every where she goes, she smiles at everyone, and she really goes out of her way to honor people for who they are.”

Community pitching in

As news of Ang’s fundraiser traveled throughout town, Kevin Hartigan, co-owner of the Last Steep, heard about her efforts and also felt motivated to help. For two weeks Hartigan has collected donations from the public to assist Ang in reaching her goal.

“We have a jar out for Ang’s family, the money from which will go to her fundraising website,” Hartigan said. “On top of that we also have another jar out for the Rotary.”

The Crested Butte Rotary Club’s parent organization, Rotary International, is a partner of Shelter Box, which delivers emergency shelter and vital aid to people affected by natural disasters. After a recommendation was made to the board by former club president Frank Stichter, members voted to approve a $1,000 donation to go toward the purchase of one Shelter Box. Once the word got around to Hartigan, he offered to match their donation for the purchase of another box. The money donated by the Hartigans was collected during a day of business at the Steep when half of their sales went toward raising money for victims of the earthquake.

To take their efforts one step further, Hartigan and Stichter organized a fundraiser that would allow community members to assist in purchasing another Shelter Box.

“We decided to give the public an opportunity to donate and have the Steep be the location for the fund,” Stichter said. “They have a container behind the bar and I printed up some flyers for people to make cash donations for more shelter boxes.”

Members of the Rotary Club also approached the Crested Butte Town Council and the Mt. Crested Butte Town Council for a donation of a Shelter Box. In addition, the Rotary Club voted to approve a $500 donation for Ang’s fundraising efforts.

Giving aid to remotest villages

Other relief efforts are happening on the ground. Local Talie Morrison ventured to Nepal in early April for a three-week trekking adventure with Pemba Sherpa of the Sherpa Café. When the trip was canceled due to the earthquake, she returned to Kathmandu and saw many villages were being overlooked by aid agencies.

“The devastation was heart wrenching. I talked to people who spent hours digging their children from the rubble, saw families grieving for dead relatives and a man who had lost his son in the earthquake and just found out that his wife also died,” Morrison said.

She put together a list of villages most in need of aid, and went with a friend to Kathmandu to buy supplies such as food, water, soap and medicine. They returned to Sakhu to distribute the items, and were careful to make sure the supplies were rationed fairly.

“Our local contact turned away people who he knew already had food, so I felt good about the distribution going to those most in need,” Morrison explained.

Morrison was unable to find certain essential items in Kathmandu, probably due to the high demand. Fortunately, once she reached Pokhara, she was able to locate 18 tarps and 600 water purification tablets. The resources were split up between Sakhu and a settlement across the river from Ghat, which had been cut off by a landslide, making it increasingly difficult to deliver aid.

“The locals were so appreciative,” Morrison said. “They filled us with tea that they were cooking in makeshift homes and kitchens and did a blessing ceremony for us. These are such beautiful people and it is heartbreaking to see what they are going through.”

Together with Pemba, Morrison has also organized a plan to get cement, tin and building materials to Ghat. “The most crucial thing the Nepali people need is good building materials,” Morrison said. “Stone and cement will be needed for foundations. Most people want to have tin on the outside, some insulation and then wood on the inside.

“I am so grateful to everyone who pledged,” Morrison continued. “When I received a pledge, I withdrew that amount from my bank account by ATM and used the cash to fund the relief. I am trusting my friends to fulfill their pledges when I get home in June.”

Rebuilding for tourism

Like Morrison and Ang, Crested Butte local Namkha Sherpa is also trying to put money and resources directly in the hands of Nepalese. The district of Solokhumbu, heartland for the Sherpa people, is comprised of many small villages that line the Everest trek route. Ravaged by the earthquake’s aftershocks, the people of Solokhumbu, including Namkha’s former home, lost nearly everything. The teahouses and guesthouses, which once offered trekkers a place to unwind, are now in piles of rubble.

“I get photo messages of the destruction every single day,” Namkha said of his village. “The media only shows the first earthquake, but when the aftershocks happen, all of the Western media is gone. But aftershocks are more trouble for us.”

Fortunately in Chheplung there were no fatalities, which is shocking considering the extent of the damage. Namkha’s home, his sister’s and many of his friends’ homes were destroyed by aftershocks. An elementary school built by Sir Edmond Hillary, a demigod in Sherpa culture, was also demolished. Fortunately, Namkha’s wife and nine-year-old daughter were okay. They had relocated to Kathmandu for treatment for his daughter, who is severely handicapped, and are living in a temporary shelter. But upon learning about the destruction from friends and family members, anxiety set in for Namkha.

As with Ang’s village, the looming monsoon season also poses a serious threat to the safety of the people in Chheplung. Structural damage to the surrounding landscape means a heightened risk for landslides, especially when factoring in pouring rain.

“We are worried about what is going to happen in the summer,” Namkha said. “They could stay in the tents, but we are worried about landslides.”

Some landslides have already occurred, cutting off the trails that serve as entryways into Chheplung.

“Some of the trails have been swept away, so now it’s even harder for a helicopter or plane to land at the nearby airstrip to get relief supplies and food to the village,” explained Ian Hatchett, a friend of Namkha who has traveled in the area.

Currently the people of Chheplung are living in temporary shelters delivered to them by the German Red Cross, one of the only organizations providing aid in this remote area. Groups of volunteers from the village are going into ruined buildings to dig through the rubble in hopes of recovering essential living items, wearing only climbing helmets borrowed from their guide friends as protection.

“There is a pretty high risk to go inside these damaged buildings and poke around for valued items,” Hatchett said.

Though the people of Chheplung are scrambling to construct appropriate shelters for monsoon season, their primary concern is ensuring that the village is suitable for tourists. Without Everest trekkers, many businesses and individuals will have nothing to fall back on.

“My friends and I keep talking about how we are going to rebuild, because when the tourists come we need to welcome them,” Namkha explained. “We want to try to clean up and make it look nice so people can’t see the damage.”

According to Namkha, the government appointed a new tourism minister post-earthquake to ensure recovery efforts move quickly. However, Hatchett says, Nepal’s economic condition may hinder the process.

“Even if there is a new tourism minister, and we like to be optimistic, the whole country has been decimated,” Hatchett said. “Nepal is an incredibly poor country, so it’s going to take time.”

Worried for the wellbeing of Namkha’s family, Hatchett reached out to him to see if he could help in some way.

“When I first talked to Namkha about this, I was concerned about helping his family,” Hatchett said. “Namkha said to me, ‘Ian, what good is it if Namkha is happy, but all of my village is unhappy?’ So he wants to help his whole village.”

The two came up with the idea of setting up a bank account where Crested Butte locals can deposit money, which would then be wired to the Chheplung mayor and distributed based on need. This way, “one village could help rebuild another,” Hatchett explained.

“The money we raise is going right into the hands of these people,” Hatchett said. “Namkha and I are not pulling five-figure salaries like some NGOs. It’s going to be very grassroots and effective.”

“We don’t need a big goal to rebuild,” Namkha said. “The big priority is to help the people with the most damage. Even $100 is a big help.” Money donated to Namkha’s cause will be used to repair damaged structures throughout the village, so the people of Chheplung may have a chance of resuming their lives and businesses in time for tourist season.

If you want to help: 

—To contribute to Ang’s cause, donate money through her fundraising site, http://www.gofundme.com/rebuildingsyangma. As of Monday, May 25, the page had $2,045 in donations.

—Those wishing to donate to Morrison’s cause can send checks to her PO Box 1745, or through PayPal by searching her email, ttadpole@frontier.net. Since putting out a request on Facebook, Morrison has received almost $8,000 in pledged funds.

—To donate to Namkha’s rebuilding fund, drop off money at the Alpineer, the Irwin building (330 Belleview), or the Bank of the West (trust bank account Chheplung Village, Nepal). Or donate online: www.youcaring.com (search for Chheplung).