The original goal of this project was to provide seed money to Nabin and his family for purchasing land and a home in his village so he could build a sustainable future for his family. The purchase of this land would allow Nabin to return from Qatar to Nepal to live, work, and support his family. Several factors have come together to achieve this:

• The civil unrest in Nepal is settling so travel is safer and families can now think of the future rather than simple survival.
• A parcel of land in Nabin’s village became available for purchase.
• Brad and I are able to make a commitment of time and resources to work on this valuable cause.

This Purchase was financed through a microcredit loan generated from donations here in Canada. As Nabin repays the loan, this money will feed a microcredit “village fund” to address widespread village issues like clean water and education. By helping just one family we can start to make a difference for an entire village.

Project Details

• The cost of the available land and home - 900,000 rupees (approximately $14,500 CAN).
• All money donated to Hands Helping Hands will be loaned to Nabin at a low interest rate.
• Loan repayment could take 10 – 15 yrs, depending on crop yield etc.
• Loan repayment will fund a “microcredit” loan to fund more widespread village initiatives.
• A few individuals have already committed to making key substantive donations to this project.
• Our goal is to find teams or individuals willing to donate or raise $500.
• The goal is to have a significant amount of funds committed by the end of May to confirm the viability of our project while in Nepal with Nabin. Ongoing fundraising will continue once viability is established.

Project Challenges

• We are currently researching the logistics of bringing $14,000 into Nepal.
• Communication with Nabin and the village is slow and challenging, as the village does not have internet, has only limited phone service, and is a day long walk from town.
• Nepal suffers from some corruption and there is a possibility of civil war escalation

Progress Update August 28, 2009

• Website launched
• Fundraising ongoing
• Members of our group travelled to Nepal in May
• Ongoing communication with Nabin in in Nepal regarding how our efforts can be most beneficial