Over winter break, the international student organization Norse of Nepal used the $1,500 they raised through a GoFundMe page to buy blankets and other winter gear for the homeless people of Nepal. Shreya Acharya, a member of the organization, traveled back to Nepal and with the help of other volunteers, spent two days delivering the supplies to the homeless people in their community.
Binayak Shrestha, a junior majoring in computer science and president of Norse of Nepal, attended Asphodel Public High School in Nepal. According to Shrestha, Asphodel is known for its volunteerism. Students and parents are often involved in projects that–in some way–help their community. Knowing this, Shrestha reached out to the principal of the school and asked if the school would be interested in partnering with Norse of Nepal for their fundraiser and charity event.
The organization posted the GoFundMe on their Instagram page with a goal of raising $1,500 and reached it after only 10 days. The money was then sent back to the principal of Asphodel, where they were able to purchase blankets, hats, socks and even some food items to then distribute to the homeless people in their community. Computer information technology major Acharya was able to travel to Nepal over winter break to help with delivering the supplies to about 115 people.
“We traveled to temples and other places to see where the need was,” said Acharya. “We saw a lot of hopeful people.”
According to Shrestha, Norse of Nepal is continuing to make an effort to help the people of Nepal. The group plans to host a one-hour webinar session for students in Nepal that would introduce them to studying technology. “We want to encourage Nepali people to be more empowered,” Shrestha said. “We are humans and we were born to help each other.”
For more information on Norse of Nepal, check their Instagram @norse_of_nepal.