Empowering Others

George Basch, Chief Cook • Feb 20, 2017

What a joy it is to empower someone else and give them back their independence! We were in Lele, a small isolated community in the remote outskirts of Kathmandu, for a field inspection recently and met an older woman that we have recently been able to help. Her husband is working overseas to support their family which leaves her to gather wood for the fire to cook and care for the family. This is very typical of families in Nepal where 25% of the country’s GDP comes from remittances sent back to families by husbands working overseas.

She was so thankful and eager to tell us how much her life has changed just by receiving one of our stoves. She has her independence back and no longer needs to rely on friends and relatives to gather wood for her. Gathering small sticks and twigs is something she can do on her own without burdening those around her. She is making a difference using what’s around her instead of cutting down more trees freeing up resources for other villagers.

At the end of our visit, she was so ecstatic and gave me a huge hug. Knowing that with your help, and all the work we are doing, we can transform and change people’s lives so dramatically, empowering them to be more independent and living a life with less drudgery brings such joy!

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