Between 24th of July and 14th of August, HeNN celebrated its annual Help Nepal International Day in several cities around the world generating in total about US $ 14,000 for the Network’s current and future projects.

Various events were held in Boston, Sydney, Melbourne, London, Moscow, Venice, Vienna and Kathmandu. A small gathering was also held in Paris, where it decided to launch HeNN-France as soon as possible.

HeNN likes to extend special thanks to Dhruba Basnet, the Producer and Director of The Killing Terraces and Navin Subba, the Producer and Director of Numafung for allowing the Network to screen their films for free to celebrate the occasion. The Killing Terraces was screened at the events held in London and Vienna and Numafung was screened in Boston.

HeNN is also grateful to HeNN-UK executive member, Dr Ravi Bickram Shrestha, who produced a brilliant Power Point about HeNN and its activities, which were presented at the events in Kathmandu, London, Sydney, Melbourne, Boston and Vienna.

Similarly HeNN would like to thank its countless supporters and well-wishers around the world, without whom it would have achieved nothing.

HeNN has so far raised nearly US $ 60,000 mainly from Nepalis and completed over a dozen projects in mostly remote parts of Nepal. Please visit the Achievement and Photo Gallery pages for detailed information about the Network’s projects.

AUSTRALIA

On Sunday, the 25th of July, lovers of Nepal gathered at a small Nepali restaurant in the bustling city of Melbourne to raise funds for HeNN’s development projects in Nepal.

The program in Melbourne raised over 3000 Australian dollars. Around 130 people participated in the dinner-cum-seminar/cultural program organised to celebrate the annual Help Nepal International Day.

There were also Nepalese products like the khukuri, a portrait and Sherpa clothes on display, which were auctioned during the function.

It was a delightful evening with music, dance and sharing of experiences in Nepal. This is the second year in which HeNN-Australia has organized the annual Help Nepal Fundraising Day in Melbourne.

Similarly, in Sydney, HeNN was able to raise nearly 2,200 Australian dollars at function organised in a community hall. Special thank goes to Harsha Gautam and Ms Indra Ban for all the hard work they put in organising the programme there.

Despite expressing gratitude to Mr Gautam and Ms Ban, Raju Adhikari, President of HeNN-Australia, thanked “all the HeNN team members both in Sydney and Melbourne for their sheer hard work and dedication for making the programs a great success.”

THE USA

Help Nepal Network USA organized its first ever-official fundraiser and celebrated Help Nepal International Day on August 7th 2004 at MIT with the screening of Numafung, a feature film about Limbu people of Nepal, directed and produced by Nabin Subba.

The program, attended by more than 100 people raised $1698 as donation and ticket sales. All of the proceeds will go to Help Nepal Health Post in Mugu, a remote far-western district of Nepal. A short power point presentation elaborating on the goals, objectives and achievements of Help Nepal Network preceded the movie.

The organization also appealed people to become members and start by donating a dollar a month for the cause of health and education in Nepal.

The Network is grateful to Greater Boston Nepali Community (GBNC), SANGAM (Indian Students Association at MIT), Tamu Samaj and Simmons College for providing moral and material support. Network would also like to thank Shailendra Yadav for making the critical link to SANGAM which enabled the Hall reservation at MIT, and to all those who helped at different levels in promoting, selling and buying tickets and making the event a success.

The projection cost was borne by D2Hawkeye, Inc., through its generous Nepali entrepreneur- founder and CTO Rudra Pandey. We also acknowledge contributions from the piggy banks of our youngest donor and fund raiser, Erica Pandey, 9, proud daughter of Rudra and Muna Pandey.

Special thanks is due to the director and producer of the movie Mr. Nabin Subba for donating his invaluable creation for this fund raising effort. Hundred percent of the proceeds will go towards the Health Clinic in Mugu.

RUSSIA

On Saturday, 24th of July, over 200 Nepalis gathered at a Moscow suburb to celebrate the Help Nepal International Day, which generated 2,000 American dollars for HeNN’s future projects.

Among those present in the gathering, organised as a picnic, were the Chairperson of the Non-Resident Nepali International Coordination Committee and the Russia-Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Upendra Mahato, Chairperson of NRN-Russia Chapter, Dr. Surya Rijal, and Acting Royal Nepalese Ambassador to Russia, Mr. Jeevan Prakash Shrestha.

A delegation headed by the Chairperson of the Nepal-Russia Friendship Association, Mr. Bhagwan Ratna Tuladhar, was also present in the occasion. Other members of the delegation included senior advocate, Mr. Sindhu Nath Pyakurel, and journalists, Mr. Krishna Murari Bhandari and Badri Paudyal. The delegation was in Moscow for a week.

Addressing the gathering, the HeNN-Russia Chief Coordinator, Dr. Bhishma Acharya, called on the participant to support Help Nepal Network. He also announced that the Help Nepal International Day would be observed in Russia and the CIS countries every year from now onwards.

NEPAL

The Help Nepal International Day was observed in Nepal by organising a fund-raising dinner and a musical programme on Friday, the 14th of August.

During the programme, chief guests at the function, Minister of State for Water Resources Thakur Prasad Sharma and vice chairman of National Planning Commission Dr. Shanker Sharma, handed over a cheque of Rs three hundred thousand for the construction of a school building of Buddha Primary School at Chhampi village in Lalitpur district.

Addressing the function at Hotel Yak and Yeti, President of HeNN-Nepal, Arun Singh Basnet, said the Network had been set up in 1999 in the UK and Nepal with a view to do something constructive for the country and people by the Nepalis wherever they were.

He said HeNN — a global charity run by Nepali nationals living in different parts of the world — had raised funds and helped construct schools and health posts in mostly remote parts of Nepal. Local communities have contributed more than what they had received in the form of voluntary labour and other inputs, he added.

In a message sent on the occasion, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, lauded the activities of the Nepalis living abroad to help in the areas of health and education in remote areas of Nepal.

Vice chairman of National Planning Commission, Dr. Shanker Sharma, said indicators of health and education sector in Nepal were still low and there was much room for making progress.

During the function, HeNN also provided health equipment to the Kolti health post in Bajura district and other equipment to the Lions Club.

THE UK

The HELP NEPAL International Day in the UK was celebrated in South East London and West London respectively on the 19th and the 26th of August generating nearly £3,200. This includes a generous donation of £1,100 by Hari Bibhor Karki, a Nepali businessman in London.

The main attractions of both the Days were the screening of the documentary, The Killing Terraces, produced and directed by Dhruba Basnet and the Power Point presentation about the Network and its projects by Dr Ravi Bickram Shrestha, a HeNN-UK executive member.

At the function in Ealing Town Hall, West London, the Royal Nepalese Ambassador to Britain, Prabal Shamsher JB Rana, distributed certificates of appreciation to the sponsors of HELP NEPAL Day in the UK. The sponsors included Bhandari Brothers Ltd. (£700), Brightsun Travel (£350), Meridian College of London (£250) and KTM Tourism Services (£200).

HeNN-UK is also thankful to Greenwich College of London, Marklink Limited and many other individuals who extended their support to make both the events in London a grand success.

HeNN-UK is specially grateful to its Social Secretary, Mrs Julie Basnet. Without her hard work and coordination, the events would not have been possible.

ITALY

The Nepalese community in Italy is not as big as in America or Australia. Even then Nepalis in Italy have been involved with HELP NEPAL Network from 2000, just a year after the Network was established.

Like in the past, the HELP NEPAL International Day in Italy was celebrated at a park in Venice where around 25 Nepalese gathered for a picnic. Suman Dhakal, the President of HeNN-Italy briefed the participants about the HeNN activities and thanked them for their continued support. In total, 165 Euro was generated.

AUSTRIA

HENN International Day in Vienna was celebrated on Sunday, the 1st August, at the residence of Himali Upadhaya, the HeNN-Austria coordinator. Following is her account about the occassion:

“I organised a small gathering at my house to show the documentary, The Killing

Terraces, and the fabulous Power Point Presentation made by Dr Ravi Bickram Shrestha. Turnout was smaller than expected and we managed to raise 110 Euros in total.

There are three Nepali fund raising organisations here, four including HeNN. I tried to convince people that we are all complementary and not competitive, as Nepal needs all the funds it can get. I think I managed to convince those present from other organisations that we should improve lines of communication between us, so that we can avoid duplication of effort and maybe sometimes raise funds together.

The other good thing is that I have got the interest of quite a few individuals who have promised me to follow our activities and become more actively involved with HeNN.

So-I am afraid not much collected in terms of funds but some steps have been made to expand the working group here in Vienna, laying down seeds for the long term, which is good news.”