Dear sponsors and supporters,
Namaste.
12,000.00€ have been collected in our fundraising campaign so far and Ram already can dispose of them.
That is wonderful!
Your donations have been and will be used as follows:
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Through donations from Gecotec e.V. and NB&G, our 35 sponsored families receive staple foods until the lockdown is lifted and work can be resumed.
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Approximately 1,900 people have been provided with staple foods for one month by Gecotec e.V. and NHEFoN in cooperation with the District Office.
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On 05/04/2020, together with the Nepalese youth organisation “Akta SAMAJA”, 700 meals were cooked for the first time from your donations and distributed in a state street kitchen in Kathmandu. This operation also was coordinated by the government. They keep track of where help is most needed at the moment. Most of the work is being done by Maya and Ram from NHEFoN, as is so often the case. This support and the distribution of food to families will continue to be supported by Gecotec e.V. until the lockdown is lifted, provided sufficient donations will be available till then.
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The government has learned a lot from the 2015 earthquake. It has stopped the indiscriminate and often unfair distribution of aid by NGOs and private individuals. From Rams’ and our point of view, this is a very good decision to ensure that all sections of the poor population receive roughly the same level of care.
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Much support also comes from wealthy Nepalese women. They donate on large scale - good for the karma - rice and staple food to the soup kitchens which then distribute hot meals twice a day to those in need.
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The best news is, however, that in the Kathmandu Valley they are considering lifting the lockdown in about 2 weeks. Then the day labourers will be able to work again and provide themselves with some food.
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The consistent early closure of the borders to India and China has helped to prevent the pandemic from spreading widely. According to the Nepalese media, there are only 57 people infected, nobody has died. We do not know how reliable these figures are, as tests can be done very rarely. However, an extremely high number of migrant workers in the Emirates, Dohar, Dubai etc. have been infected and have died. The terrible living conditions in these countries are the main reason for this. Without the income of their relatives working abroad, many families are now left without any resources whatsoever.
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Problematic, as in every crisis, is the situation of single parent day labourers, who literally have to live from hand to mouth with their families. Due to the lockdown even this was no longer possible.
The state simply lacks the tax income to establish a meaningful social system. 60% of the gross national product is generated abroad and bypasses the community of Nepal. Despite these and many other problems, Nepal in our view is on the right track under the current government.
We thank you very much for your help - it has a direct effect and is used 100% on the spot.
We would be pleased if you would continue to accompany and support our projects in the future.
Best wishes and please stay healthy.
Anne Peter, president Gecotec e.V.
Elisabeth Schwery-Kinzler, president NEPAL Bildung & Gesundheit Schweiz
Ram Kumar Tamang, NHEFoN
Freiburg, Blatten, Kathmandu, May 5, 2020
