Lhakpa Gelu Foundation - Update!
With the help and support of many caring donors and friends, Lhakpa Gelu Foundation was able to raise 650,000 Nepali Rupees ($6,200) for the Roofing Project to rebuild Kharikhola, Nepal.
I would like to give my sincere gratitude to all the heroes and heroines, without whom this project would not have succeeded.
A very special thanks to my dear friends Lance Bunker, Liliana Lloret Bunker, Julio Bird III, and Maribel Bird!!!!
Also, to Ngima Dorji Sherpa - You are a great man for your incredible social work in executing this project. I am so thankful to you and very proud of you. It was a pleasure working with you to give back to our community. I hope to collaborate with you in the future.
Great work everyone! Give yourself a big hand and a good pat on the back!!!!!! Thank you, Dhanyabad and Thuche!!!!
With this Foundation, I aspire to improve the education and health of those in need in the rural village of Kharikhola, Nepal.
This is a non-profit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
The Lhakpa Gelu Foundation's Mission is to take an immense step in making the lives of these indigenous people more successful so they can accomplish their lifelong dreams for the future.
The people in this region are mostly Sherpas who are highly regarded for their expertise in the mountains. They encounter many hardships every day living in the mountainous terrain with drastically low income.
They will do anything to provide for their family. They risk their lives, guiding climbers up and down the dangerous mountains and unfortunately, many depart this life doing so.
People in this area suffer daily trying to meet their needs and make living possible. Some are so dreadfully deprived that they live in shacks, barefoot with hardly any clothing, even during the glacial seasons.
I, myself, would know, having faced some of the same difficulties in the past.
On April 25, 2015, an earthquake of 7.8 magnitude struck Nepal, killing more than 8,000 people and leaving countless others injured and homeless. The epicenter was in the village of Barpak. See map below.
On May 12, a second large earthquake with a 7.3 magnitude struck the region between Kathmandu and Mount Everest. This earthquake was hardest hit in the foothills of the Himalaya, where Lhakpa Gelu's home town of Kharikhola lies.
The effort to improve education has now become one of survival for the people of this devastated region, as aid from the government is slowly distributed and not nearly enough. The Lhakpa Gelu Foundation is providing funds directly to those in need in Kharikhola.