MicroAid Assessment Trip to Nepal

I hope all is well.

I am leaving on March 2nd for Nepal, where in April, 2015, the magnitude-7.8 Gorka earthquake killed 8,000 people and destroyed 650,000 homes, affecting more than a million survivors.

Over the last months, I have been contacting people there, and here, who were involved with the disaster response—because it was so widespread, that means almost anyone who lives in Nepal or has a connection to the place. I have also been studying construction techniques for building earthquake resistant homes using local materials, and connecting with a variety of other NGOs with innovative strategies.

Even a year after the earthquake, the situation in Nepal is dire. Due to a terrible convergence of government inaction, a fuel and materials blockade along the Indian border, and the magnitude of the damage, very little has been done to help the survivors who lost their homes.

MicroAid will be going in with the same philosophy that has led to our helping so many families in the past: “Just because you can’t help everyone, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t help someone.”

I will be assessing the situation in about a dozen villages in the earthquake affected zone—from Pokhara to Khumbu—to see how best to use our resources and help the most people. We might rebuild a few houses for families, or provide construction tools and building materials for an entire village.

I feel that, together, we make up the MicroAid “team,” and the people for whom we build houses know that this assistance comes from a network of people far away who feel compassion for, and a connection to, those less fortunate who have no other recourse.

If you haven’t made a donation in a while, please contribute to the Nepal effort. As always, 100 percent of your donation goes toward helping those in need; overhead is paid for by me, the board of directors, and a few specific donors.

Thank you for being a part of this humanitarian effort and good will. We are making a huge impact on people’s lives—directly, efficiently, and completely.

Hoping you and your family are happy, healthy, and secure.

All the best,

Jon