As the days draw closer to April 25th, my thoughts return to my beloved Nepal and the devastating earthquakes it’s people endured, many of whom continue to suffer.
Al Jazeera’s Steve Chou gives a good account of what life is like out in the villages one year later.
After 30+ years in the investment management industry, I packed in my job in 2013 and started to live my life a little differently. Still needing to support myself, I work on paying contracts for chunks at a time, earning enough to allow me to volunteer overseas for long periods and put my business analysis skills to really good use. This new cadence has afforded me the chance to do ongoing work with spinal cord injured in Nepal, microfinance in Bangladesh, small business coaching in Sri Lanka (twice) and more recently in the Philippines, I feel deeply grateful to be living this life I conjured over a decade ago and to know in my small way, I can influence the betterment of lives. I hope you enjoy this blog as much as I do writing it, telling inspiring tales about the resilience of people.
I have heard so much about the delays from the government and, indeed, the corruption that has siphoned off so much of the aid. It is heart-breaking. The best effort I am aware of comes from an Indian friend, who raised a lot of money and simply went into a particular village and began the reconstruction.
Mick, this is the only way to go as there is immediate and tangible benefits to those in need. I take the same approach with SIRC. The trick is to ensure you can trust the person to spend the money as intended.
Bowen to Bangladesh 
Pingback: Blog SCI Nepal | Spinal Cord Injury Collaboration | Nepal
I have heard so much about the delays from the government and, indeed, the corruption that has siphoned off so much of the aid. It is heart-breaking. The best effort I am aware of comes from an Indian friend, who raised a lot of money and simply went into a particular village and began the reconstruction.
Mick, this is the only way to go as there is immediate and tangible benefits to those in need. I take the same approach with SIRC. The trick is to ensure you can trust the person to spend the money as intended.
Agreed. We are seeing results in this particular village, now.
That’s awesome. Keep up the good work!