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Tampa Bay area groups raise money for Nepal earthquake relief

 
Arjun Dahal, a recent graduate of USF, and his brothers, Rajan and Shyam, are shown at their home in Nepal.
Arjun Dahal, a recent graduate of USF, and his brothers, Rajan and Shyam, are shown at their home in Nepal.
Published May 5, 2015

TAMPA — The first words Arjun Dahal heard about the April 25 earthquake in his home country of Nepal came from a friend.

"Nepal is destroyed," the friend said over the phone, describing the damage to historic landmarks and the growing list of casualties.

Dahal, 37, immediately thought of his family and spent a fearful, anxious half-hour trying to reach his brother.

Dahal's family in Nepal — his brothers and sister, their families and his grandfather — are considered among the lucky ones. His youngest brother's house is partially damaged, and his sister's house is worse. But none of them was hurt, and all are in safe living conditions.

His parents made it out before the magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck. During April, they stayed with Dahal, his wife and their two children ahead of Dahal's graduation from the University of South Florida with a doctorate in physics.

Initial contact with his family in Nepal was just a few minutes. Now there is a better connection and they can Skype. He was able to see the damage to his family's homes and that his sister and her family can stay only in temporary housing.

But they're all thankful to be alive and unhurt.

"They (his family) are in good condition compared to the rest," Dahal said. "It's still feeling like it's a dream."

Dahal and fellow members of the USF Nepalese Students' Association immediately decided to start raising funds. In three days, the group raised and sent $1,000 to hospitals in Nepal.

The group has since joined with the Nepalese community in the Tampa Bay area to create a gofundme.com site to raise more than $22,000 so far.

"We cannot bring deceased family members back; however, we can provide some relief," Nepalese Students Association president Bhikhari Tharu said.

The funds will go to temporary relief for quake victims like food, shelter and medical supplies. The long-term goal is to keep raising funds for the restoration of cities and villages.

On Monday, students at the Hillel Academy in Tampa began their own two-week fundraising effort. Yoav Rappaport, a parent at the school, is working for International Medical Corps on mapping to help relief workers reach affected areas.

The Global Action Coalition, a nonprofit organization in Tampa, also is raising money to help Nepal. The group so far has sent $6,000 for emergency relief and is hosting a jazz concert to raise more to help the districts closest to the epicenter of the earthquake.

Coalition co-founder and president Rob Rowen said the group has been funding educational programs in Nepal since 2009. Since the earthquake, the organization and its partners in Nepal have been raising money to send to the small mountain villages in the Gorkha district.

"These small villages live year to year," Rowen said. "I'm worried about these people; they have no homes."

The jazz concert is at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg. Tickets are $25 and $30, and all proceeds will go directly to Nepal relief, including tents, water, food, medicine and health care.

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The coalition is working with three groups in Nepal to lend aid to small villages like Barpak, where all but four of its 1,200 homes were destroyed.

"It's going to take a long time to put Nepal back together," Rowen said.

Contact Chelsea Tatham at ctatham@tampabay.com. Follow @chelseatatham.