As Nepal continues to recover from a massive earthquake that claimed thousands of lives on Saturday, the cheel has stepped in with a large-scale fundraising drive to benefit victims of the natural disaster.
Earlier this week, the Thiensville restaurant, which specializes in dishes that blend Himalyan and American flavors, launched an online fundraising campaign through fundraising site www.gogetfunding.com. The campaign, titled “Hope for Nepal,” is determined to raise at least $10,000 for Nepalese families and individuals. The campaign has generated more than $4,000 so far, primarily from individual donors.
Barkha Daily, a co-owner of the cheel and a Nepal native, has organized the fundraising initiative as a way to help Nepal residents who have yet to be served by relief organizations.
Much of Daily’s family lives in Kathmandu, the capitol of Nepal, and after surviving last week’s earthquake, they are now struggling to access fresh water, food and shelter.
“They’re lucky to not have been hurt,” Daily said of her family members, though the challenges they face in the aftermath are severe.
Among the most significant challenges, according to Daily, who speaks with her family every day, is finding fresh water. Her family has often bought large tanks of water but is now not able to as damaged roads stand in the way. Nepalese residents have also long relied on natural spring waters – some of which were broken when the earthquake hit – and water lines run by the government that have also been severely damaged.
Additional struggles include distributing food and medication to residents affected by the disaster and building temporary shelters.
Funds collected through “Hope for Nepal” are being sent directly to Daily’s contacts in the country rather than an organization where they might funnel into overhead instead of relief efforts. Daily, who wants her fundraising efforts to have an “immediate and direct” impact on earthquake victims, has already sent $2,000 to Nepal and plans to send another $2,000 soon.
Her efforts will be long term. As the cheel turns 1 year old in July, she plans to organize an anniversary celebration with a fundraising component for Nepal.
Daily also plans to partner with area businesses on fundraising events in the coming weeks and, once rebuilding efforts begin in Nepal, she hopes to start collecting resources such as blankets, medical supplies and building materials.
Any amount of money will help the cause, she stressed, particular as dollars stretch further in Nepal than they do in the United States.
The death toll from Saturday’s earthquake has now surpassed 6,000, according to the latest reports.
“My heart goes out to everybody who has been indirectly and directly impacted by this,” Daily said.
For more information on “Hope for Nepal,” click here. Daily is also accepting donations at the cheel, located at 105 S. Main Street in Thiensville.
