A Thank You from Joey & Nepal

We have received an update from Joey Owen, who runs the Freedom to Learn charity based in Milford on Sea with her husband Mark Owen. The charity works to provide the opportunity of education to children from some of the remotest regions of the Himalayas and South Asia. They specifically support families in Kushadevi, Nepal and the villagers haven’t even been able to access soap to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

Joey is delighted and impressed that the campaign done at MoS Primary School has been so fantastic, So many really committed teachers and children have raised over £2000 with Gift Aid! - and she sends a massive thank you everyone who has got involved to help. 

Joey writes: "The virus has now reached Kushadevi, with our Programme Manager and his family in self-isolation after their doctor who they visited a few days before tested positive. In nearby Dhulikhel the first COVID-19 death was of a 29yr old woman, so spread prevention in Nepal hasn’t been as effective as they had hoped, but still it has been slow - a good sign and one hoped to be maintained. 

There is definitely a perceived tradeoff between lives and livelihoods right now, a very hard choice to make, the government is enforcing lockdown. The risks of isolation in rural Nepal are enormous though, not least as they cannot plant crops at this essential time. We’ve managed to get some food through, sacks of rice and lentils so far, but our team haven’t been able to access anything fresh and the soap supply has also been seriously diminished, but we are working on another delivery from the Kathmandu…. so fingers crossed they can start to supply the foot hill regions more effectively soon to prevent the spread of the disease into the villages." 

There is a Crowdfunder where people can directly and easily donate towards relief parcels. If you would like to help, please click here

To read the original article, please click here.

To read Freedom to Learn thank you to MoS Primary School, please click here.