For the past three years, I’ve been travelling to Nepal and I have been heartened and humbled by the generosity of the Nepalese people, despite their lack of resources. In many parts of the country, access to basic things such as clean water, electricity, education, health, and safety are not a given. Even colorful balloons, which I carried over several days during my treks and would give to the children along the way, would bring smiles to their faces. It’s a simple joy that we often take for granted.
I am combining my love for the Nepalese people with my love for the water by swimming 57 miles to raise money to improve the quality of life for children in Nepal.
On July 28th, 2017, I’ll be one of seven solo swimmers that will double circumnavigate the island of Manhattan. I’m excited to be part of this swim and I’ve been training hard all year, spending countless hours in the pool. To date, I’ve swum over 415 miles. This will be the longest swim I’ve ever done, in time and length, and will likely take over 20 hours. The swim will start at noon on July 28thand we’ll swim through the night, ending in the morning on July 29th. Despite the challenges, I have support from a great crew, including awesome kayakers.
I am motivated to swim through the day and night because I’m raising funds for the children of Nepal who I fell in love with during my many trips. There are so many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) doing great work in Nepal that I wanted to make it more personal and reached out to Tendy Sherpa, who I met through trekking in Nepal and trust him wholeheartedly to make good recommendations. Tendy offered a few NGOs and I decided on the Disabled Rehabilitation Center (DRC) Nepal.
The DRC Nepal (NGO registration # 856/2000) provides shelter in a family-like environment for 55 children at their Care House in Gokarna, Kathmandu. The children come from all over the country and are mostly disabled, orphaned, or come from a very poor family. DRC Nepal prioritizes the children living in its housing, providing educational and health opportunities (e.g., corrective surgery, wheelchair, etc.).
My goal is to raise $3,500 to go towards supporting education services and basic supplies for the children.
The funds will be used towards the children and there are little administrative costs. For example, DRC Nepal‘s annual operating budget is only $41,500 and they receive no outside funds from the Nepalese Government or other NGOs. Currently, their funding comes from Sponsor trek Nepal Netherlands (25% Via Tendi Trust Nepal) + door to door Local collection (about 25% ) + trekking tourist Visitor donate (15% private donation) + Volunteers donation (35%). The DRC Nepal is registered with the Chief District Office, Kathmandu and affiliated with the Social Welfare Council # 13543 under HMG Ministry of Social Welfare.
I hope to visit the DRC Nepal this November and will provide an update on the organization upon my return. You will see pictures of and read stories about children that you’ve helped. Thanks for making my swim more meaningful by tying it to a worthy cause and helping me bring more than just balloons to the children of Nepal.