When you hear someone say, "I went to Mexico." What comes to mind? Cruise ships. A picturesque vista. Palm trees. Fruity beverages. Oh, and tropical weather. Yes, all the vacation-y things. You typically don't imagine your days south of the border to be serenaded by birds and your freezing cold nights set to the soundtrack of about 1 million dogs. 

In this particular case, they were.  

                      **PAUSE** 

We have partnered with doTERRA International to benefit the earthquake-torn country of Nepal. Through this partnership, doTERRA is working with rural Nepal villages in conjunction with its Co-Impact SourcingTM initiative. In Nepal, rural villagers living in extreme poverty survive on less than $2 a day.

This partnership provides critical economic opportunities, particularly in rural areas where they are most needed and a better standard of living through improved access to clean water, education, and medical services. This work addresses many of the new Global Goals for Sustainable Development, including gender equality that serves to underscore the importance of this work.

While watching a televised report on the Nepal Earthquake, CHOICE’s attention was drawn to a story on the Whistle Man from Luvu, Lalitpur. Luvu is a very ancient (about 3300 years old) Newari settlement that was severely damaged by the 7.8 earthquake on April 25th and the numerous aftershocks that followed.

The outpouring of generosity and concern for the people of Nepal after the April 25th 7.8 earthquake has truly been inspirational. Many people have benefited from the donations and the warm wishes, and we are grateful for all of them. This blog is a brief overview of the amazing work that CHOICE staff and volunteers have accomplished since the earthquake that destroyed so much of Nepal. For a more detailed update, join us at our Journeys Gala on September 25 at the Rail Event Center to meet Bishnu Adhikari, Nepal In-Country Director, and hear a personal account of the earthquake and the rebuilding to date.