My daughter Alyse and her partner Tiago were visiting Nepal on holiday when the 7.8 earthquake struck on April 25th. Fortunately they were a safe distance from the damaged areas. Once they saw the tragedy unfolding, both felt compelled to stay in Nepal and join the relief efforts.

They have been raising money to purchase much needed supplies, organizing relief efforts and going to remote villages to deliver survival items such as desperately needed tents, tablets to sanitize water, flashlights, blankets, etc. The World Peace Pagoda in Nepal has been working with them. Many Nepali are now homeless and literally sleeping in the cold rain with little or no relief. Still, according to Alyse, they have not given up hope and are encouraged by the world’s outpouring of generosity and concern.

Helping out is no small task, many roads are blocked and relief from major organizations only reach major populated areas where there is the most damage like Gorkha, Kathmandu and Pokhara. Smaller towns that suffered devastations are not easily reachable. These efforts are being conducted one village at a time by grassroots groups like Alyse’s newly minted friends and Japanese monks. Here Alyse describes their efforts in her blog “Told By Alyse”

“Our plan was to drive in our jeep and truck to yet another town where we had to rent tractors to carry the goods. The road, if you can call it that, required a sturdier vehicle. While loading the tractors, we were able to team up with Helping Hands, an organization also providing relief to the Gorkha area. They were unable to buy the supplies we brought and instead were providing food and medical supplies. YesHelping Hands had been waiting over a week for their tents to arrive and could wait no longer. Our combined goods became the perfect match for these villages.”

Another earthquake struck May 12. This time my daughter felt its full impact. The violent shaking forced them out of their tents and into the open several times. They continue to be determined to help the affected.

For a more complete description of events and pictures of the disaster and their humanitarian efforts, please read her blog, “Told by Alyse” or her @Flipboard magazine: Told By Alyse