Rebuilding Bridim

UPDATE

The response to the request for help for the people of Bridim has been overwhelming. Together we have already raised $20,460. And if a certain group of particularly dedicated and ambitious backers is able to meet its fundraising goal over the weeks ahead, WE WILL HAVE RAISED MORE THAN $30,000 BY THE TIME THE FALL CONSTRUCTION SEASON BEGINS. This is 2/3 of the way toward the cost of rebuilding the entire village! It is incredible.

With thanks to generous contributions from so many people, and to Tsering’s hard work and dedication, improvements are well underway in Bridim. The community kitchen has already been constructed and is providing all villagers with a dry place to prepare meals through the monsoons. And the funds raised will be sufficient to rebuild the community center and half of the homes in Bridim when the monsoons end. Tsering has been working with a team of architects and engineers to ensure that the homes are rebuilt in a way that will preserve Bridim’s beautiful traditions while also providing more structural integrity to keep people safe through future earthquakes.

Another exciting piece of news to report is that we have a group of 15 volunteers from all over the world traveling to Nepal in November to stack stones and sip butter tea alongside the people of Bridim.

Most sincere thanks to all of who have reached out to offer moral and financial support to this group of perfect strangers half a world away, giving them cause to feel excited about better things to come. Most of you will likely never meet these people, but please know that you have made their lives better.

As you all know, the scale of the devastation and need in Nepal is staggering. According to an OCHA report from June, 500,000 homes were destroyed and 2.8 million people across the country are in need of humanitarian assistance. Sadly we cannot help everyone, but together we have changed the fate for the people of one village. It would be hard to overstate the impact of our support on Bridim.

Here’s to the compassion and generosity that have made this possible! Thank you, my friends. Thank you, thank you.

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Original entry:

The earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25 has devastated the remote village of Bridim. Each of the village’s 43 homes was destroyed, as was the small community center and the monastery. Not a single structure survived. In an instant, 158 people in this humble village lost what little they had, and they find themselves suddenly homeless at the start of the monsoon season (which brings months of relentless rain). Winter will soon follow, with sub-zero temperatures in this high mountain village. The people of Bridim are resourceful and industrious, and they are doing all they can to help one another through this. But the road ahead is difficult.

$5,000 is needed urgently to build a community center and kitchen to keep the most vulnerable villagers (children and the elderly) safe and dry during the monsoons. The next task will be to rebuild each of the ruined homes, at a cost $1,000 per home. (The people in Bridim will contribute the labor themselves, keeping costs very low.) Bridim is a subsistence farming village, meeting its modest needs largely through growing and trading, and the villagers’ lack of access to this sort of funding really cannot be overstated. They need our help.

Please click here for more information on Bridim, its needs and how you can help by sponsoring a home, donating or volunteering. Please give generously and spread the word. I am setting the initial fundraising goal at $10,000 to cover the community center and the first 5 homes, but it is my hope that we can support the rebuilding of all homes in Bridim. This is a very ambitious goal, I know, but I believe it is possible!

THANK YOU FOR HELPING TO KEEP HOPE ALIVE IN BRIDIM!