Wednesday 7 October 2015

Summer 2015 Update

Namaste dear Friends and Family of the KYTFoundation,

We hope everyone has had a wonderful summer and that you are now enjoying your autumn.  It has been a while since we've communicated, though with good reason; it was a very busy summer for the KYTF.  I, Kamala, travelled to Nepal with the funds raised to date and the intention to provide earthquake relief.


My family's home in the village

As we write now, the situation has settled considerably.  Even so, there were aftershock tremors happening everyday (up to 5 points on the Richter scale) in August, lessening as September came.  These tremors have been causing more damage to homes and buildings, unfortunately.




Earlier in the summer, I journeyed from Kathmandu to my village in the mountains.  I trusted my own will and guidance as many people told me not to go by bus during monsoon season.  I knew there were hungry people waiting and I just had to go, there was no other option.  It is not uncommon for buses to fall off the side of the mountains on these rides, especially during the slippery monsoon season.  On this drive, we were lucky.  The bus only got stuck, and after all the passengers got out to move rocks and mud around so the wheels could get traction again, we continued on our journey.  




It was a five hour trip to Healay, on July 13th.  There are 17 different wards or villages in the Healay Chaubas area, called Kosi Pari (which means 'other side of the river'), located on the North East side of the Sun Kosi ('gold river').  We wanted to provide food for all 17 wards but we did not have enough funds, so we could only choose one- my home village. Others had come before but did not have enough food for everyone which caused fighting amongst the villagers and hostility towards the volunteers.  This put the volunteers in an unsafe position.  Because of that, KYTF was advised by the villagers to either give food to everyone or none at all.  We were the first food distributers able to provide food for all 64 homes in Ward #7, Healay Chaubas of Kavre Palanchok district.

I brought six nephews and one cousin to help distribute the food, and I felt these young men were angels standing by my side.

Before we began, it was a tense atmosphere. Some people were upset because they did not expect to receive any food.  I assured them that everyone would be fed and if there wasn't enough, we would order more.  We did have to order food for four homes, and made sure that everyone received a month's worth of food (rice, lentils, oil, and salt).  In the end, there were happy smiles of gratitude on every face.  It was very peaceful.  This felt so deeply rewarding for me and my family, as there were many familiar faces, some whom I hadn't seen since I was nine years old.  




When I was nine I left home for the first time with a chicken under my arm (for bus fare) and my sights on the big city.  All I knew then was that I needed to make money to help my family, and forty years later I came back to do much more. An old villager who I had worked for told me she never thought I would be able to come back and help the village in such a way; she knew how hard life had been.  As she said this, a little girl was standing by and looking at me.  I took this time to look at her and say words I wish someone had said for me: "I remember my childhood, how difficult it was. And looking at this little girl," and I looked at this child as myself, and the child looked back at me with wide eyes, "you never know what this child can do in the future.  So please treat this little girl with love and respect."  I told the child to study hard and focus on her future.  We all felt the truth of this moment, with tears in our eyes.




While doing the food distribution, I noticed that no water was coming down from the water spring that we had used as a water source since I was a child.  The earthquake had caused the land to shift and the mouth of the spring was now underground.  So we hired experienced workers to locate and dig out a new access point to the spring and, close by, to build a holding tank.




They dug a hole and built it out of rocks with a paste of cement and sand to keep it together.  This tank will collect water from the spring and send it down through 1300 metres of piping to the second bigger holding tank (which is still under construction) closer to the site of where the hospital project will be.




This was difficult work- it took ten people two weeks to dig through the jungle floor to find the mouth and carve the pathway for the piping.  A worthwhile endeavour though, as now we have the first phase of water accessibility finished for the hospital project.




We really recognize all the people and associations who have supported the KYTFoundation's efforts through donations, as none of this would have been possible without you.  Thank you.

You are the reason I am able to show my village and my family how much the world cares.  I am acting as a bridge between the modern Western and traditional Eastern worlds now.  And this is just the beginning of the exchanges these two communities will have through the KYTFoundation in my lifetime.




Special thank you's to:

Dam Chhoi Lama, Rosalba Nucera and Raffella Nucera of the Borderline Association of Rome, Italy for your huge support

Eloise Charet and Emma Calles of New Denver for bringing support from the Kootenays, BC

Seymour Heights Elementary students and teachers who helped to fundraise; the little boy in grade 1 who shared $85 of his birthday present and the grades 4/5 split class who worked hard selling lemonade and rice crispie cakes to raise nearly $1000

And Joseph Sung of Parkgate Farmer's Market for your generous donation.


Love and Light,
Kamala Yonzon Tahrayli Foundation

Written by Sunkosi Maya through Kamala Yonzon's perspective*

Monday 11 May 2015

Earthquake Relief Emergency Fundraising

Namaste,

In light of the recent and ongoing earthquakes in Nepal, the KYT Foundation is collecting funds for emergency earthquake relief to help rebuild the village.  The larger goal of the foundation is still to build a fresh running water system and clinic, but in the meantime our family and the villagers are in need of more immediate necessities.  The funds raised at this time will go to providing food and rebuilding the homes, all of which have collapsed.  Monsoon season is fast approaching so the need for shelter is urgent.  Most Nepalis have been living outside under tarps and tents for over two weeks now.

Please join us in helping to rebuild this humble country's foundations by donating.

Love and light,

Kamala Yonzon Tahrayli Foundation









Wednesday 16 July 2014

Surrey Fusion Festival: July 19-20, 2014

DEAR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS,

NAMASTE HOW ARE YOU ALL? HOPING ALL ARE WELL. THE SUMMER WEATHER IS FINALLY HERE NOW ENJOY THE WEATHER IT IS BEEN GREAT NICE HOT.

NEXT WEEKEND K.Y.T. FOUNDATION IS HAVING A FUNDRAISING EVENTS AT SURREY FESTIVAL. THERE WILL LOTS OF MUSIC AND CULTURE SHOW FROM ALL DIFFERENT COMMUNITY BACKGROUND. WE ARE GOING TO BE WITH NEPALI COMMUNITY. PLEASE COME AND FIND OUR TABLE WITH K.Y.T. FOUNDATION AND SUPPORT US WITH WATER PROJECT FOR SMALL VILLAGE IN HEALAY CHAUBAS OF KAVREPALANCHOK DISTRICT WE ARE HOPING TO SEE YOU THERE ON JULY 19-20, 2014, AT 10 AM TO 11 PM.
(SATURDAY AND SUNDAY)

Kamala Yonzon is the founder of the Kamala Yonzon Tahrayli Foundation.

Kamala grew up in a small village in Nepal called Healay Chaubas in Kabre Palanchowk District.

Presently, the nearest hospital is in the capital city of Kathmandu and can reached only by a day-long journey by foot and by bus rides, only when the weather permits. During the monsoons the buses are not able to run as often and villagers are forced to make the journey down the mountain by foot.

Kamala has lived in Canada for over 26 years, Still the village she grow up not much change and she still has a deep longing to help the villagers in the isolated region of her birth. She has returned many times to visit family members and has witnessed, all too many times, tragic outcomes as a result of birthing complications or illnesses that could have been addressed with easier access to medical attention.

Her plan is to build a hospital in this isolated region on land donated by her family. The hospital would be open to all villagers requiring medical attention.

However, before the hospital can be built, equipped and staffed, there is need of fresh drinking water being brought to the location is a priority. There is a spring situated approximately 2.5 km from the proposed hospital site. A second water source is approximately 3 kms from the proposed hospital site. The equipment and labour costs for this phase of the project are estimated at $20,000 CAD. The necessity and resources are there, but currently, the funding is not.

To achieve Kamala's goal, she is reaching out to her community and to others who wish to support her dream.

The KYT Foundation is a registered nonprofit with charitable status pending.

You can support the KYT Foundation by donating funds or by becoming involved as part of the growing team. We have numerous activities underway that you can participate in. We welcome your participation!

Contact us at: kamala.yonzon@gmail.com to learn more. Healay Chaubas, is a remote village in the Kavre Palanchok District of Nepal, where Kamala Yonzon, founder of the KYT Foundation was born and raised. The villagers walk an hour to fill jugs of water, then carry the heavy jugs back to their home. Often they must stand in line to wait to fill their jugs, adding to the time consumed by this daily activity. This can be repeated several times a day to obtain enough water for drinking, cooking, cleaning and providing water to animals. Piping water to the village will give villagers more time to spend with family, to work and children will be able to attend school.

Getting water to the village is phase one of a two-phase water/hospital project.

In a recent trip to Nepal, Kamala successfully negotiated access to two water sources. She also commissioned an engineer report to provide estimation of costing to bring water from both sources to the village. She established a local nonprofit organization in Nepal to oversee administration and ensured that she would have access to supplies and labour.

Everything is set to go and based upon timing, estimates are that it would take only two to three weeks to complete this first phase of the project and have water flowing to the villagers.

All that is now needed is $20,000. THANK YOU


LOVE AND LIGHT
K.Y.T. FOUNDATION

Tuesday 11 December 2012

KYT Foundation Fundraising Dinner & Craft Sale: Saturday, Dec. 15, 2012

Kamala Yonzon Tahrayli Foundation 
Fundraising Dinner & Craft Sale
Saturday, December 15, 2012 

PROGRAM

5:00 PM
Door Open
Registration
Art and Craft Sale
Silent Auction
Raffle Sale
Chiya-Khaja
(Snacks)


6:00 PM 
Introduction by Georgia Cross
Sale & Silent Auction Continues
Socialize
Raffle Sale continues


7:00 PM
Singing Bowl Demonstration
KYT presentation by Kamala
Q & A
Slide Show


8:00 PM
Khana Pinaa
(Dinner)
Nepali Cultural Presentation by:
  • Pasang 
  • Kamala 
  • Vikas& Friends 
  • Prabha 
Raffle Draw


10:00 PM
Wrap-Up

Sunday 1 April 2012

Fundraiser Concert: Julie Blue and the Singspiration Singers

We are incredibly excited that the talented and inspiring Julie Blue and her Singspiration Singers will be performing a fundraising concert benefiting KYT Foundation in North Vancouver on June 16th.

We are currently seeking volunteers for onsite activities as well as donations for the door prize raffle.

Contact lauramack@telus.net if you’d like to offer up your time or product/service for door prizes.

Stay tuned for more details!

Wednesday 6 April 2011

Welcome to our blog!

Welcome to our blog! This is where you can read about all the latest happenings.