Help Nepal

DEC, the Disasters Emergency Committee is a coalition of 13 different aid charities.  If you want to donate money to help the Nepal earthquake crisis or any other crisis it's best not to just blindly donate money, check where your money will go to first and how it will be spent.  Often aid money goes through the wrong channels and is misspent, wasted and eaten up in admin which is what happened with the Haiti earthquake appeal, that's why a coalition of charities might be best to ensure funds are dispersed more effectively.  As far as I can see DEC looks like an appropriate organisation to donate to.  You could also consider the Oxfam appeal who are building a multi stage plan starting with providing clean water and sanitation to those who have been displaced.

Not forgetting several other humanitarian crisis in the world such as Syria, Sudan, Gaza and the island of Vanatu in the South Pacific Ocean which was devastated by Cyclone Pam last month.
You can spare £10 or just a fiver right?  What's that?  a bottle of wine?
I have today donated £12 to the Nepal appeal with DEC and £8 to the Vanatu appeal with Oxfam.  I doubt I'll even notice, I'd only fritter it away otherwise!

oxfam.org/en/emergencies/cyclone-pam

Nepal Earthquake

In November 2011 Bec and I visited Nepal, it was one of the best experiences of my life.  It is a unique place and I feel really sad to see much of Kathmandu reduced to rubble and that thousands have died there and across the region.  We visited many of the places that we are now being shown in ruins.  It is a very busy city, rich in culture with a real old world feel compared to what we know in England.  There are many many Buddhist and Hindu shrines, temples and monuments which are often side by side and very much in use by the people. The buildings and culture seemed very important and well respected by everyone and the Durbar squares in Kathmandu old town, Patan and Bhaktapur are like a social hub with tourists and locals intermingling.  

It looks like many of these old buildings are now unfortunately destroyed along with many people's homes, it must be terrifying to be there right now.  

The loss is huge, thousands have died and although eventually the wreckage will be removed and gradually rebuilt nothing can replace hundreds of years of rich heritage and tradition.

 Here's a few of my own photos of Bec and myself enjoying the amazing sights in and around Kathmandu only a couple of years ago.  My great memories now make me feel sad.....

EDIT 27/04/15: see blog post Help Nepal to donate money to the right places.

 Here's a link to the journal I wrote on our travels in Nepal
http://traveltalesfromanywhere.blogspot.co.uk/p/nepal.html