Since the earthquakes of 2015 that destroyed their homes, multitudes of Nepalese have had to migrate to Kapurdhunga, a remote village in Nepal, where widows and their children trek several miles every day in search of drinkable water. In Laguna Beach, Florida, a local nonprofit organization, R Star Foundation, partnered with the Monarch Beach Sunrise Rotary Club to apply for a Rotary Foundation Global Grant. The $60,210 Global Grant will now eliminate the need for the daily long-distance search for drinkable water for the inhabitants of the migrant village. Rosalind Russell, founder and executive director of R Star Foundation expressed her excitement at the grant, saying “…we try to find out from the villagers what they need and go from there.” Jill Fabricant, a member of the Monarch Beach Sunrise Rotary Club and Ms. Russell worked for 18 months on the grant proposal. The project also includes a sanitation station with handwashing facilities and a septic system.
Fast Facts: Nepal
• Slightly larger than Arkansas – over 30 million population
• World’s Highest Peak – Mt Everest at over 29,000 ft above sea level
• World’s Highest Lake – Tilicho is at least 16,000 ft above sea level
• World’s Deepest Lake – Shey-Phoksundo is 447 ft deep
• World’s Deepest Gorge – Kali Gandaki, is 18,000 ft deep
• Nepal aims to ensure clean water and sanitation for all by 2030