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I volunteer both here and in Nepal with a nonprofit called Ten Friends  (tenfriends.org).  It's based in Central Oregon and was started by two local teachers who traveled to Nepal with their friends, and decided there were some simple technologies that could make a big difference in people's lives.  They delivered stretchers to mountain villages so people had a way to quickly get to the nearest health post.  In many parts of Nepal there are no roads, and walking is the only way to move from place to place.

Then, they discovered there were many children's homes in Kathmandu, and that many of the children suffered from serious diarrhea, caused by the poor water quality in the city.  They began to partner with locals to place water filters in children's homes, and have placed over 100 so far, both in orphanages and schools. 

We were able, through the wondrous generosity of local donations to help purchase a permanent home for an orphanage and support the tuition so the childr4en an receive a quality education.

We also partner with young women in eastern Nepal to support their efforts to become educated as teachers and hopefully return to their mountain villages as a teacher and mentor to both boys and girls. We have just had our first young teacher get a job in her home village.  What an accomplishment for her and her village.

I have been a friend of the founders for years, and they finally talked me into joining them in Nepal two years ago.  It was simply life changing.  A beautiful culture, and stunning scenery.  The people of Nepal believe so much in education, and there are so many things that we can do to help.  We believe in helping with sustainable projects and that seems to have resonance for me.  I know how fortunate my life has been, here in the US, and I feel an obligation to make a small difference in the lives of those who have a much more difficult life.

We are small, and we want to continue to grow as our donations increase, but we are careful to fund only what we feel we can sustain. 

It's extremely rewarding, and I hope to share Nepal with others, as Rand and Mark, our founders have shared this wonderful country with me.  They are inspiring and enthusiastic supporters of the people of Nepal.

posted 1 year, 9 months ago
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