Sustainable Upper Dolpa, for which the working prototype has already been realized, is a model that just needs one-time start-up funding from you to groom it so as to aspire for a prosperous village. This model is inspired by “Aafno Gaun Aafain banau (Develop our own village)” to eliminate the vicious cycle of dependency and poverty that has plagued the developing countries like Nepal for generations by instilling self-reliance through the creation of jobs that exploit locals’ skills to the fullest. This model will also be replicated with little tailoring to develop other remote villages in Nepal.

The successful prototype project is the result of the collaboration among Nepali American Organization of Ohio (NAOO.org), Snow Yak Foundation (#‎snowyakfoundation), Binod Shahi, the Sir of Himalays, and Kolpa (#‎kolpastore), where the locals, under the supervision of Kopla, were provided with raw materials to make handmade products. The finished product, as seen in the hand of a Dolpali woman in the picture, was bought by the same enterprise. A certain percentage of that money has been allocated for public services which will induce the sense of responsibility in residents.

There are many regions in Nepal where it takes hours to reach to the nearest school and days to reach to the nearest medical facility; many actually die without seeing a doctor in their life time. Such grim pictures, portrayed through series of articles included in the WordPress Blog Post, are beyond the imagination of people living in the prosperous countries. The mushrooming donor agencies might have given us the false hope that poor are being helped, but the reality is, despite siphoning billions of grant money and engaging top-rated financial experts for years, these places are almost untouched, or worse, the dependency is sky-rocketing there.

I hope you will participate in our small campaign to free the poor from being at the mercy of the rich forever so as to relieve all of us from the handed down baggage of guilt and shame.  I am requesting you to donate $1, $5, $10, or whatever amount you can contribute by skipping a cup of coffee or a bottle/can of soft drink or something that won’t uncomfortably compromise your comfort. Please Please don’t forget to share it with your friends, families, and relatives.