Immediately after the earthquake, our founders mobilized connections and contacts across the world, collecting a large sum of emergency relief funds.We then traveled to Nepal to the village of Masel, in the hard-hit Gorkha region, to personally deliver the donation which was used for temporary shelters. However, we knew a one time donation was not enough to help establish permanent homes and, thus, this was the beginning of Good Earth Nepal.

Six hours out of Kathmandu, the village of Masel is located close to the earthquake epicenter and saw 90% of its houses severely damaged or completely destroyed. 

In the village square we met with the village elders and townspeople, and after a brief speech by the Kul Prashad Bhatta, immediately distributed money to 45 families (5 families from each of the village’s 9 wards), so they could build temporary shelters to protect them from the rain.

The families we helped were among the poorest in the village, and could not afford to buy bamboo to build with. 

Money was distributed directly into the hands of the villagers, who signed to indicate their receipt. Those who couldn’t read used thumbprints instead of signatures.

A list of the families who received the money and their signatures/thumbprints.

Following the ancient Nepali tradition, the village priest then gave us blessings, and put a tika on our foreheads.