Readers and friends: Champa and I are building a school in a remote area of eastern Nepal and we ask for your help.

The school is in Samalbung, the small village we visited with our family in late 2022. (Watch the video after 8:33.) Our nephew Santosh, whose late mother was Champa’s sister, lives there with his family. Several years ago, he and his partners created a barebones school to serve local children, who are mainly from indigenous groups and farming families with very limited means. As you can see, the kids are inspiring but their school is in bad shape.

They and their teachers (above) need a new school, desperately. Champa and I have committed to paying for most of the cost of a new one but we need tens of thousands of dollars more to finish the project, which has just gotten under way (see below). With additional funds, we can also provide new desks, school supplies and maybe even computers, a cafeteria or sports equipment.

Champa and I are doing this informally, with a GoFundMe campaign, rather than through a formal charity. We trust Santosh and his partners and are monitoring the project with the assistance of one of Nepal’s leading human rights attorneys.

Your support will change the lives of the children shown here and their brothers and sisters. When the school is finished, hopefully within a year, I’ll be sure it highlights the names of everyone who helped. 

You can contribute through GoFundMe or contact me directly (as some donors have preferred, to avoid GoFundMe’s fees). Thank you for anything you can afford to contribute!