TONI EVANS
Heartbreaking images and stories have emerged from Nepal following the catastrophic floods, leaving many people wondering how they can genuinely help.
Motueka woman Zoe Dryden is connecting locals with the FACE Nepal charity via its Givealittle page, which sends funds directly to contacts on the ground in Nepal to provide safe drinking water, food, temporary shelter and other essential supplies.
Zoe, a local mother-of-two, is also the organisation’s co-founder and says strength lies in the grassroots networks it has helped support for more than two decades.
"FACE Nepal is Nepal – Nepalese people already in community leadership, with strong, interconnected grassroots networks able to deliver aid immediately without overheads.
"They've mobilised and responded incredibly effectively to emergencies over 20 years, including Nepal's devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake in 2015 and the Covid-19 crisis. These people are the villages. They know the routes, who has lost what, or whom, and what is needed.
"Priorities have already been identified: blankets, food, clean water and medicine first, followed by shelter assistance where required. They are not building or importing a system in the middle of a crisis – they are already there. They understand the logistical challenges, know the aid drop-off sites and know the alternative routes when those sites cannot be reached. FACE Nepal can move support through trusted local networks, hand to hand and village to village. And they'll still be there after the initial international response has moved on."
FACE is short for Friendship Association for Community Education. The charity grew from a partnership between Zoe and Nepalese man Shreeram Devkota. Shreeram brought local knowledge, community relationships and a vision for empowering rural communities, while Zoe contributed expertise in business, governance and organisational structure.
An award-winning educator, school principal and leader among fellow principals, Shreeram has helped develop a community-led support model alongside Zoe. Women's advisory groups oversee assistance within their communities, including identifying and supporting vulnerable, disabled, learning-impaired, and extremely impoverished children.
The groups are connected across villages, with successful groups mentoring others. The original advisory group is now represented in government.
That same grassroots network is now being mobilised to deliver disaster relief directly to flood-affected communities.
Zoe, an entrepreneur, leadership coach and governance adviser, is also co-author with her mother, Sharyn Steel, of Five Sons and a Hundred Muri of Rice. The book tells the story of Shreeram's mother, Kharika Devkota, and provides insight into the family and communities behind FACE Nepal.
For people wondering how they can help, FACE Nepal says donations provide a direct connection to Nepalese communities already supporting families through the crisis.
Donations can be made at https://givealittle.co.nz/org/face-nepal-charitable-trust-board.
