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Rural Nepalese Find Help From Spokane-Based Company

Conscious Connections Foundation

Nepalese people recovering from the disastrous earthquake one month ago now face a different threat: monsoon season from June to August. A Spokane-based company is racing to send money to rural mountain villages otherwise not reached by relief organizations.

Spokane-based GaneshHimal has had to shift from fair-trade wholesaler to disaster relief organization. The company works with 16 producers in Nepal, all of whom survived the quake. Austin Zimmerman at GaneshHimal says because they have trusted friends and colleagues in the region, they’re able to send money directly.

Zimmerman: “When it was first going on we wired money to India because we had a connection in India, and he was able to purchase tents there and bring it across the border. There’s a few more places that our contacts are saying might still need immediate care.”

She says they are trying to supply shelter and food for families in rural areas not served by major international relief organizations. To raise funds, they held a concert last weekend and will have a Zumba-thon Sunday in Spokane. Ganesh raises money through its non-profit arm, Conscious Connections Foundation.

Aftershocks are still hitting Nepal several times a week, and monsoon season is a major threat since the quake forced many families into tent-living. But, Zimmerman says the Nepalese she knows are resilient, and many want to get back to work.

You can find out more about the Nepal Earthquake Relief coming out of Spokane at consciousconnectionsfoundation.org.

Copyright 2015 Spokane Public Radio

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