Support My Friend

As we are all aware, there has been a terrible earthquake in Nepal recently, and though several areas were affected, most the devastation took place in Kathmandu. I visited the city only a year ago and at that time stayed with a local named Sujit in a quiet suburb in the surrounding hills. I'd first contacted Sujit via the website couchsurfing.com and I was welcomed into his home for 5 days where he and his family treated me with the utmost kindness. The experience was a very positive one, and I later wrote about it and all the other wonderful things from my trip to Nepal. The link to the blog post is here: shimostar.blogspot.com/2014/09/above-it-all.html

Then the earthquake struck. I of course was very worried about Sujit and his family until word came that none of them were injured. The disaster occurred midday so they were not at home, and it was fortunate they weren't. Their three-story brick house ended up collapsing into a pile of rubble. At the same time this means they are now homeless, and due to the difficult situation, Sujit has reached out to his international friends.

I have already made a donation to the family through a fundraising website. Hopefully, the current one will remain up for a while. The original site was taken down. As terrible as it sounds, scammers are taking advantage of the situation to make cash. This is disrupting the system and causing trouble for the true victims. Thankfully Sujit's brother who lives in England was able to get another site going for the family. They certainly need the help.

This photo shows what is left of their home. The family is now living in an open tent where they are receiving limited emergency relief. I cannot even begin to imagine how terrible this must be for them.

I am usually not the type to ask much of anything from anyone, but in this case I feel I must. On behalf of my friend Sujit I am looking to others--both friends and family--for aid in the form of a donation. Any amount would be appreciated, because it all adds up, and in Nepal even a little money can go a long way.

Here is the link to the fundraising website that Sujit's brother has set up: www.gofundme.com/tgyfck

Again, any donation whatsoever would mean a great deal to this family during their time of need.

I'll finish by saying that I hope my friend and his family will remain safe, and soon be able to get back on their feet, and that many people will find it in their hearts to help make it happen.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Sincerely,
Phil