HAPPY EASTER! HAPPY SPRING! HAPPY HAPPY EVERYTHING!

As we hop about happily in our lives, we can spring up to remember others who will benefit. Life is not as grand for many people as we can create for ourselves. We can extend our help and our support in many ways which will truly add to our own personal joys while lifting another.

Ready to hop to it? Let us show you a way with a story.

Two long years ago the first of the mega sized earthquakes hit Nepal with a loss of nearly 10,000 people, uncounted animal loss, and about 97% of the homes in the rural areas of the quakes. Severe loss states it best.

My 2.5 month journey recently in Nepal quickened my heart to do all we of R Star can do for the country. The conditions are not suitable for healthy living to this day though I am pleased to report changes are noted. Most of the villagers do not have funds to rebuild their homes which were far more secure, habitable and more insulated than the small tin shacks they were relegated to live in months after the quakes which was an improvement to 24 hour exposure to the elements. Villagers with funds to fully rebuild are faced with the materials being slow to arrive as the prices continue to increase. The demand for construction is high as so of available skilled labor. The effects and affects of the quakes sadly remain quite visible while 85% of the villagers suffer enormous challenges for full recovery.

While in my rural village ‘home’ Wojethar, it looked like I was in Syria though bombs were not going off. As my eyes adjusted to the villagers living reality, I was in shock! People like you and me are living in horrific conditions subjected to the weathers ever changing climate with the needs exactly the same as before the quakes by the agricultural work they do to eke out a living. Having briefly lived in one of the shacks I can attest to the reality few of us could endure the brutality of their daily lives.

When asked how I could stay in the tin shacks I recognized it was easy for me as I could return to comfort as we understand. They cannot. Rabin, (my dear adopted Nepali son from Nepal who runs our programs brilliantly), certainly didn’t want me subjected to such living. Was it easy? No. The experience of the tin shacks helped me understand far more deeply than I could have grasped otherwise.
Rats and mice were in the shack eating the stored grains all night long disturbing sleep. Snakes eat vermin; the possibility of one of several kinds of deadly venomous snakes would enter the shacks which are not tight enough to keep much of anything out is a reality of great concern to everyone. Before getting in my bed for the night I inspected above, below, the sides and edges of my bed. The mosquito net, one of the ones R Star manufactured in Nepal in the first months after the quakes, was tightly tucked under my thin mattress by my ‘buhari’ Narayani, my daughter-in-law to stave off bugs, even other critters. Regardless, I slept. I drank too much water before bed, I had the joy of going outside in the night. I was told not to go to the latrine as the tigers would be close if not right there. Oh my! It is so real in Nepal.

You get the picture. Life is grim currently. More help is needed while the government continues to politically internally fight, further destabilizing the country. To help the villagers plight which hinders their health, joy and safety we have found ways to build able bodied families with year round organic greenhouses, which we began doing, with a pilot program in 2016. They are quite simple using sustainable bamboo, wire, nails, plastic tarps for the roofing, water storage during the absence of water and seeds to grow. Training how to properly grow great crops organically which bring in higher revenue is given. The added seasons a greenhouse provides marketable produce will be the funds to rebuild the homes which continue to be needed for the family able to help build the greenhouse we gift and maintain it in every way.

Yes, we are still involved with goat gifting. We offered an incredible training with a National Professional Goat Judge, Daniel Laney teaching 3 of our villages in December which I witnessed. A newsletter could be all about the gifts of Dan for R Star, but suffice it to say, we are grateful for his joining us as our goat adviser and volunteer in the field with his expertise for the healthiest of goats for Nepal.

The federal level of the Livestock & Agricultural Department are also involved with gifts of salt blocks for the goats with plans to help us in this year’s budget. The Livestock Dept. likes our work so much we were gifted 3 incredible breeder goats by Dr. Narayan Bahadur Shrestha who witnessed Dan’s great teaching and learned from him as well as our interested village women! Rotary Clubs lend their hand to our work frequently from water wells, various trainings and overseeing our work, especially Paton South, Nepal Rotary. We expect Paton So., will help to reestablish our most requested classes for the women, “Literacy Classes” and create sanitation stations at our school, in general overseeing our efforts for added accountability. We are stronger with our many collaborations to do our mighty works. We are grateful. We can’t do it alone as you see. We need help.
Put the SPRING in your step by helping!
You can help too by volunteering as Nancy in Laguna did on Valentine’s Day having some of her interested (and interesting), friends over to ‘chat’ with me about the needs for our villages, or do as Ileana does with a full on fundraiser in her garden each fall. Maybe you are in a club who would welcome a presentation from us you would be willing to connect us to? Connections are amazing forms of help. Perhaps you are a techy with office knowledge and a few hours to share? There are many ways to help us help others including gifting funds. What I know for sure, whatever you choose will put a spring in your step!

Please repost, print and share wherever you deem appropriate as this helps us too!

Want to know more about the recent journey to Nepal? I have stories and more stories to share.