During mid October, 2021, a team of porters journeyed to Melamchigaun to deliver vital supplies to the local residents.
Melamchi was heavily flooded by this years monsoon rains, causing roads. buildings and the hydroelectric power station to be destroyed. Thousands of acres of farmland, including crops and livestock, were washed away, as well as most of the bridges connecting this region to the main access routes.
The porters were employed by CAN under the new 'Cash for Work' scheme, which employs those porters most affected by the loss of the tourism season. They had to brave incredibly dangerous walking routes, carrying hundreds of kilos of food and supplies.
The work of the porters is so vital as the cold winter season approaches. Many people have been left without access to food or provisions, and very few crops have survived the floods - certainly not enough to sustain the entire region.
We want to thank the amazing porters for their hard work and determination. We don't even want to think about what would have happened to many of the residents of Melamchi had the porters not been able to deliver these goods.
Melamchi is the location of a CAN health post and a secondary school. It was heavily affected by the 2015 earthquake, and now seriously impacted by the exceptionally severe monsoon rains.
The 'Cash for Work' is funded by the Porter Relief Fund, set up by CAN in December 2020 in the wake of the cancellation of the tourist season, due to the pandemic. Many porters were out of work, and would largely have been unable to support themselves and their families through the winter.
To all who donated to that fund, we thank you for your generosity, the impact of which is clearly apparent here.
Thank you and namaste!