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** 

CHOICE Completed the First Post-Earthquake
School Compliant with New Government Regulations in the Entire Country of Nepal

Many national stories have focused on the India oil embargo and slow response times from the Nepali government and how those have adversely affected the rebuilding of Nepal in the year since the worst earthquake in their history.

CHOICE Nepal is building an earthquake resilient school with eight classrooms in Archaleni-Duradanda, Lamjung. CHOICE Nepal will be taking a third group of doTERRA International executives, staff, and wellness advocates on an expedition to Archaleni finish the school and inaugurate the new school. A big thank you to the LDS Charities for additional funding to help complete the school.

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.

CHOICE has been working for 33 years with people who live on less than $1.25 a day helping them create their own path out of poverty. CHOICE has been working in remote villages in Nepal for over 15 years. Currently, we are working on a program called Nepal LIFE that will help Nepal to become the first developing country in the world to end extreme poverty. We are based in the Lamjung District, the epicenter of the deadly quake, where we work in 180 villages. Many of these rural areas have not been accessed for any earthquake relief. Those that have, paint a desperate picture.