Dolakha Blanket Distribution

In November of 2015, Elder Gong, a newly called member of the Presidency of the Seventy and former President of the Asia Area,  visited Nepal to assess how the humanitarian arm of the Church could further help the people of Nepal.  Emergency relief in the form of rice, blankets, tarps and towels had been provided immediately following the quake.  After speaking with a number of local leaders both in the Church and in the Nepali government, it was decided that since many of the people were still living in temporary housing and since winter was rapidly approaching, good blankets would be the best way to offer assistance.  An order for 10,000 blankets was placed with a manufacturer in China.  The blankets arrived at the Nepali border on Sunday, January 17th.  It was decided that it would be most cost effective to distribute the blankets through the charitable foundations of the President and Vice President of Nepal.  On January 18th, we had the opportunity to attend a meeting with the Vice President at his home to discuss his part of the distribution. 

Left to right are Sister Carol Oliphant, Elder Joe Oliphant, Sis. Lear Weaver, Elder Scott Weaver, Nanda Pun (Vice President of Nepal), and Rakesh Hamal (one of our NGO partners who provided invaluable help in coordinating the importation and distribution of the blankets).

Elder and Sister Oliphant participated in the distribution of blankets in the district of Nuwakot on Thursday, January 21st.  On Friday, January 22nd, they headed to Sindhupalchowk for another blanket distribution and we left at 5:30 AM for a two-day trip to the Dolakha District of Nepal, also to distribute blankets.  Along with Sindhupalchowk, it was one of the hardest hit by the April, 2015, earthquake. 

Since we have been in Nepal, we have been deeply touched by the lengths to which Nepali children must go to receive an education.  As we drove along in the darkness we would see small groups of children of all ages walking along the roads, scrubbed and neatly dressed in their school uniforms.  They would either walk the entire distance to school or walk to the closest bus stop to catch one of the public buses to the village where their school is located.  In Kathmandu, the children in our branch of the Church often leave for school by 7:30 AM and do not arrive home until after 5:00 PM.  They do this six days a week!

After a trip of 6 1/2 hours, the last 1 1/2 hours on a dirt track that went up a steep mountain, we arrived in the tiny village of Bulung  located at about 8,000 feet above sea level.  On our way to the village, we had a glorious view of Gauri Shankar, one of the peaks in the Himalayan Range.  We had begun to wonder if there was actually anything at the end of the journey.  This was the sight that greeted our eyes:

We had to walk up some steep dirt steps and walk under the arch....

to find a large group of villagers waiting to enter a tented area. 

Elder Weaver carries the LDS Charities banner we hang at each

official event we attend.

After another 1 1/4 hours, the main event began.  We were draped with the colorful scarves and floral necklaces given honored guests and then were escorted up onto the stage where about 20 other guests were seated .  In attendance were around 2,500 villagers.

You many not be able to see this easily, but the women and

children are seated on one side and the men and pre-teen/teenage

boys are seated on the left side.

The event began with a number of rousing speeches in Nepali that sounded much like the ones we used to hear at political rallies when Dale Weaver (the original Gramps) was running for the Wyoming legislature.  The speakers kept turning and referring to a large banner behind us as they spoke.  Following these speeches, we were entertained by a female vocalist, a Nepali Robin Williams (who was funny even though we could not understand him) and a local male pop star.  By this time we were mystified as to the type of event we were attending and how our blanket distribution would fit in.  We finally asked the gentleman next to us, who spoke some English, what the banner behind us said.  He said it was an advertisement announcing the Bulung Cultural Festival.....which was what we were attending.  After the entertainment, the gentleman representing the Vice President's charity spoke, telling the villagers about the blankets donated by LDS Charities and that they would be receiving the blankets the next day in their various villages.  We then presented token blankets to ten representatives from the VDC's (Village Development Committees) of each village that would receive blankets.  Here we are presenting the blankets:

The blankets are 50% wool and 50% polyester and very heavy.

The event concluded with another rousing speech (the Nepali's love speeches!) from the Minister of Irrigation.  By then we had all been sitting for over 3 hours!  We left the area almost immediately, as we were anxious to get down the steep mountain before darkness fell. We drove about 3 hours back to Charicot where we stayed the night.  Luckily the Oliphants, who had stayed in the same hotel the week before, warned us that the building was very cold and that we should take warm clothing and extra blankets.  They also warned us not to try and shower, because there was no hot water.  The hotels are made of concrete and with the drapes shut all day, the rooms do not ever warm up.  When we stepped through the door to the room, it was like opening the door of your refrigerator and stepping inside.  We slept wearing our thermal underwear, jeans, turtlenecks, shirts, Wyoming hoodies, 2-layer Columbia coats, hats, gloves and three pairs of socks each.  In addition, we slept under three layers of blankets.  After several hours, our feet finally got warm enough that we could fall asleep!  Needless to say, we were deeply grateful to reach our apartment in Kathmandu late the next morning and take a short, but blessedly warm shower!