ACHA HIMALAYAN SISTERHOOD'S FUNDRAISER:

REBUILDING AND RESILIENCY FUND FOR NEPAL

THE STORY:

Dear Friends:

This past Saturday, a massive earthquake hit Nepal which has left 5000 dead and 6000 injured. The country has experienced 90+ aftershocks, unseasonable rains, landslides and avalanches. While Kathmandu is receiving most of the attention and help from counties and large NGOs, Nepal's less accessible rural and mountain communities were the hardest hit and are likely to receive much less aid.

ACHA Himalayan Sisterhood is a group of Himalayan women living in the United States We have launched our initiative ACHA Nepal Rebuilding and Resilience Fund. Many of our members were born and raised in Nepal. We are oceans away from home, but our hearts and minds are with Nepal. We are mobilizing our networks to offer meaningful contribution for rural Nepal. We have decided our best approach to assist Nepal is through the following three phases of support:

Phase 1 (this week):
Supporting direct relief efforts in rural hill and mountain communities. For this particular initiative, we will be directly supporting rural families in Sindupalchok and Dolakha needing immediate relief. We will channel our funds to a trusted local organization - Educate the Children (ETC-nepal.org), which has long-standing grassroots relationship in the area.

ACHA is partnering with Sahayeta (sahayeta.org), whose co-founder, Nisha Thapa, a nurse, is traveling to Humla village next week close to the epicenter of the earthquake, where the group has worked to support children's education for a number of years. We are starting an "Adopt A Village" campaign in partnership with a Sahayeta - a Bay Area Nepali Alliance. The direct funds we raise toward "Adopting A Village" in Nepal will support their effort to rebuild the lives of its residents.

Phase 2 (next few weeks and months):
Inclusive rebuilding in rural hill and mountain communities. We will support reconstructions of local schools and community based organizations.
ACHA is also committed to the rebuilding of grassroots organizations that have been hit by the earthquake such as The Himalayan Society for Youth and Women Empowerment (HSYWE.org), whichhas been empowering the Himalayan and trans-Himalayan ethnic communities in Nepal for a decade.

Phase 3 (later in the year):
Fortify Nepal- build grassroots community resilience and enhance adaptive capacity. We will continue supporting the above-mentioned groups.
We will have more information for our supporters in the coming days. Please follow our development onfacebook.com/achahimalayansisterhood

HOW TO DONATE:

MACHIK.org, a nonprofit with outstanding track record in strengthening the Tibetan Plateau is helping us send the funds. To make a donation, you can either:

Donate online HERE or
Make your checks payable to Machik and please put ACHA Nepal Rebuilding and Resilience Fund in the memo – very important. If you are on the East Coast, please mail them to: ACHA Himalayan Sisterhood (c/o Tsechu Dolma) 42-24-64street, Woodside, NY 11377 OR you can mail them to: ACHA Himalayan Sisterhood (c/o Dechen Tsering) 1728 10th Street, Berkeley, CA 94710.

In Solidarity with the strong people of the Himalayas,

Tenzin Bhuthi (CA), Pema Bhutia (CT), Namgyal Choedon-Newton (CA), Tsechu Dolma (NY), Sherab Dolma (CA), Tsering Lhadon (DC), Dorjee Dolma Tamang (CT), Yangchen Gurung (NY), Chonyi Lama (CA), Tenzin Labrang (CA), Phuni Meston (MA), Da Mo (CA), Tenzin Pelkyi (MN), Mingma Sherpa (NY), Tenzin Tselha (MA), Dechen Tsering (CA), Tamding Wangmo (NY), Tashi Wangmo (NY), Tenying Yangsel (NY) and Namgyal Norbu (NY).