This slideshow includes photos from  Jyamrunz, about 1 month after the initial 7.8 earthquake April 25th. Dil’s wife and son, Madhu and Diwash, walked 2 hours on foot to visit with family, old friends, and neighbors and assess the damage.

Now, nearly two months post quake, thanks to your support and Dil’s diligence, tremendous progress to rebuild Jyamrunz has been made.

For me, a slight twinge of accomplishment pulls at my heartstrings when I look at these pictures, but I’m somewhat familiar with these faces (Dil’s family) and these places (in Nepal).

What is it like for you?

My wish is for you to feel that you have helped. With everyone’s generosity, we have raised over $8,000 USD in credit card donations on giving forward and received nearly $750 USD in cash or checks. All the money (less 7.3% for processing) has not only been wired directly to Dil’s bank account, but it has already been spent!

Diligence is an appropriate term to refer to Dil’s name and Dil’s character. Words cannot explain how altruistic this man is. (Hopefully, the gesture of naming my puppy in honor of him portrays my extreme level of admiration for this hero, Dil Sapkota!)

The money has already been spent because Dil worked diligently to provide shelter for his village before Monsoon season.  (Which has arrived this week, creating landslides which prevents all transportation to Jyamrunz To get to the village is now a 5-6 hour trek on foot). Dil went out of his way to rent a truck, buy zinc roofs  directly from a factory.These roofs protect from the fierce rains.

Here is Dil’s direct account of the trip:

"The Zink  roof (Tin) is the most important support for the families as monsoon is ahead of them  that they are building their simple houses. The Zink roof demand is very high at the moment and we do not have enough production. So, I had to go to the factory  as  could not find zink in the shops and  would have  taken  so long till I get zink sheets but  Saturday I took the bus to low land of Nepal (Narayanghat) and able to buy 405 sheets of Rajesh zink and went to the village  with truck. As you see on pictures that was so fantastic to see families  getting  the  roofs now.

So far few  houses completed and  started living, some are half  way to finish  as they were  waiting for roofs and about 17 families are  on the process to build. They now need  bamboo  and  woods  to  complete the building. So, I am giving some cash for that. The next project is to help women who lost their husbands (Windows)  who need  more then others.

I also collecting  few  hundred  dollars from other people too,  so  we are supporting for 32 families and some widows."

In all, Dil and his family’s dedication on foot, and your support emotionally and financially, has resulted in the following progress to rebuild the village:

• 9 houses re-constructed (17 building)
• Tent, tripling, foods & cash distribution on the first stage    
• Zink Roofs for 32 families
• 23 widows Cash distribution 
• School building construction   
• $300 fund for continued emergency support of village

Thank you! Thank you! Dhanyabad! Dil let me know in our last correspondence that the people of Jymarunz are asking how to honor all our donors: YOU.

For me, the experience of surviving this natural disaster has been transformative to say the least. I feel so soo far away and personally struggle with feeling like I am not doing enough to help. If my mother had not brought me Dil (the pup) a week after returning home, I would have flown right back. Perhaps its the martyrdom in me and I am dealing with that in my own way. Now this precious ball of fur has been dubbed "Statesider" and his unconditional love, and adorable face is therapeutic.

Not an hour passes without me thinking of Nepal. The spellbinding peaks. The smiling people. The tragedy and the resilience. My mind flashes back to grandpa shuddering, crying in the cold dirt moments after the first quake; Eshish, the most brilliant young man (seriously MIT keep your eye on this 16yo) and I discussing politics between aftershocks; Trying to calm the terrified stranger grasping my shoulder and screaming as we huddled in the street downtown Kathmandu during the 6.7. There are magical memories too: Paragliding over Pokhara and feeling safe above the trembling earth for the first time in a week; Manisha’s smile as she opened her birthday cards and presents from Lauren, Samed, & me; Indulging in the first protein in 40 days- the excess smoked trout that the german woman downstairs could not sell at the closed market;  In the tented sea of 100 nepali neighbors, the man softly sharing jokes making parents chuckle as they swaddle their sleeping babies. Oh the humanness in us all is inspirational!

Sometimes I break down and cry when I am alone- humbled by life itself. Sometimes ebullience explodes in my gut- feeling as though I have been blessed with a second chance in life.

Every breath of my existence is now a breath towards purpose, progress, peace.

My point in writing this is to thank you. Please look at these pictures and know you have helped. Your support has evidently rebuilt a village, but is also helping to rebuild me.

I love you and I appreciate you.

Dhanyabad,

<3 Hallie LouLou

EEEEEE

You can also continue to support Dil’s Village here: Re-build  Dil’s Village