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More photos from our 2015 earthquake aid project in Banepa, Nepal.

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We would like to give a MASSIVE THANK YOU to everyone that has supported our aid campaign. Without the donations from our friends we wouldn’t have been able to make any of this possible. I would also like to give a HUGE THANK YOU to the Bookahoolics crew led by the incredible Saguna Shah. 

We have utilized our earthquake relief funds to provide fully enclosed temporary shelters for a Dalit village in the Banepa hills.  The Dalit are a highly marginalized community in Nepal.  Their village sustained significant damage and many homes were declared unfit to live in.  Unfortunately without prior support the villagers were forced to live inside unstable homes with the threat of further aftershocks.  Through our network of community organizers in Kathmandu headed by Saguna Shah and Bookahoolics we were able to provide the village with the necessary shelters and food supplies to weather the oncoming monsoon season.   

 Additionally we’ve provided the local school with stationary materials, books and other supplies.  For the construction of the temporary shelters we provided jobs for parts of the local community.  This includes Dalit and disabled individuals.  We hope by providing people within the local workforce, many of which are marginalized, that our funds could create a larger overall impact.  

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My good friend and partner in our Nepal earthquake aid work, Saguna and her team of volunteers visited Banepa yesterday.  They viewed two schools where marginalized children live and study.  The structures have been irreparably damaged and the children need temporary shelters.  One school has a temporary shelter already, however requires white boards, flooring and tables for the kids.  There are also eight houses in the community, of which two have temporary roof shelters. The cost for one temporary roof is around 10,000 Nepal rupee or roughly $100 USD.  Saguna will be visiting more areas in the coming days, after which we will purchase the aid materials and help rebuild these communities.  One area of caution is for a foreigner to travel for scouting missions because the unfortunate situation is that some will try to take advantage and we want to create the largest impact possible which means I will not be accompanying.  Once we begin the aid work I will join the team in travelling to the villages.  I look forward to bringing you all more updates in the coming days.

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Apparently since I've arrived in Kathmandu we've had two earthquakes, neither of which I've personally felt. The damage is certainly real and is visible in the cracks which carve across the dusty walls of this place and within the people which are resilient.

I heard a story from a little girl who told of a man who was painting a giant green building when the earthquake hit and fell to his death. She pointed to the spot where the man fell and I asked her did you see this with your own eyes to which she replied, yes.

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https://soundcloud.com/mountkarma/sets/summer-2015

Sit back, relax and enjoy our official summer mix.

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#LoveWins <3

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Our official packaging is in!  Made from Nepalese Lokta paper and sealed with our five mountain M logo engraved with Tibetan cloud formations.  

Lokta paper comes from the Lokta bush or “Daphne bush” that grows Himalayan mountain region at 6,500 to 10,000 feet. 

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Now that the campaign fundraising has ended, whats next?  

Contributors that selected a perk:

You will be receiving your Mountkarma prayer flag shirt/s in one months time from campaign end.  We're currently in the process of producing your order's and will update as we progress.

Distribution of aid:

$465.00: Amount raised by credit card -$41.85: Indiegogo platform fee (9.0%) -$13.95: Payment processing fee (3%)

=$409.20

$1,795.00: Amount raised through PayPal -$161.55: Indiegogo platform fee (9.0%)

=$1,633.45

$600.00 Amount raised via check to Mountkarma LLC

=$600.00

Total amount for aid material:  $2,642.65

I (Kevin) will be flying to Nepal in mid to late July to take part in and oversea the distribution of aid.  My trip will be funded separately from the aid money raised.  Once I arrive in Kathmandu I'll meet with our team members.  From there a date will be scheduled to purchase the relief materials and head to the affected areas in the Nuwakot district.  

Transactions will be documented and posted.  I'll also be documenting the experience in film and photography which will be published over the following days and weeks during that period.  

Thank you all for your support and I look forward to keeping you posted over the coming weeks.

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We’re looking into using some of our funds for  helping children at an orphanage 20 kilometers outside Kathmandu.  Here the kids which travel from 5 different villages have had no shelter.  The house they lived in was damaged by the earthquake, condemned and they have been asked to leave.  Both the school and home need support.

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#prayfornepal

Very sad.  Another 7.4 magnitude earthquake has struck Nepal today.  Fortunately everyone we know is alright.  The quakes epicenter was near Namche Bazaar, an important trading area in the Khumbu region of Nepal.  

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Made from bamboo and Tibetan prayer flags in #Nepal.  All proceeds go to #nepalrelief  http://igg.me/p/mountkarma-earthquake-aid-project/x/10628850 …

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Continuing our faces of Nepal series with this beautiful portrait of a school girl near Basantapur Durbar square. #prayfornepal #nepalquake #nepalearthquake #nepalrelief

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Beauty of Nepal #nepal #beauty #portrait #nepalquake #prayfornepal

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Great article about Mountkarma in the Stamford Advocate and Greenwich Times yesterday!

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Our Official Mountkarma story video has arrived!  (1:30)

Check it out and show some love!

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An edit from today.  Dubai sunset 2x exposure  

check me out at https://www.flickr.com/photos/79899687@N03/

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Portrait of a policeman Kathmandu, Nepal.

For more of my work https://www.flickr.com/photos/79899687@N03/