How many people do you have on your team and is
there a minimum you have to have?
The money you guys are raising for this build - what
does it cover and what do you guys have to handle
out of pocket?
Currently, we have 17 active members. Some are more
We are asking for 49.5K. That will provide all the logistics
focused on fundraising – some are fundraising and some are
looking to go to Nepal. The maximum that can come to
Nepal with us is 15. Minimum we can go with is 6.
necessary build the school and our internal flights for the
maximum of 15 people. What I love about buildOn is they are
How long is the process from setting up a team to
actually being on site building?
have this information available on their website. We have to
plan and pay for our own transportation to Kathmandu. With
very transparent on where our donor’s money goes. They
all that said, we’re not going to stop at 49.5k. Once we’re
going to hit our goal, we’re going to fundraise another 5k for
On average it takes 8-12 months to fundraise for the school
and all the logistics necessary to complete it. With that said,
an adult literacy program. We won’t stop until we know we’ve
this is totally up to the team.
done everything we could.
It’s a commitment, so what about BuildOn made
you feel this was the way to give back?
What is the thing you are most looking forward to on
this journey of giving?
It just felt right. It’s difficult to put into words sometimes.
This experience has been very new to me and I’m enjoying
My heart knew it from the last day in Malawi that this was
something I was going to do. I think in the past, I over
every single part of it. In the next few months, I’m really
looking forward to our first major fundraiser. It really exciting
thought what was ‘my’ way to give back. I really enjoy being
active in the community. Doing good FEELS good but not
to me. I’ve never put on a fundraiser like this before. Long
all things that FEEL good are for the betterment of others.
term, and of course, I’m really looking forward to landing in
Nepal. Stepping out of an airport in a foreign country is one
At that time, I was searching for something to feel good
about. But when I started looking into what it was that
of my favorite feelings. I’m really looking forward to meeting
the community we’ll be building in. It’s really hard to imagine
called to me, I wasn’t asking why. With my experience with
buildOn, I had a clear understanding why I was getting
but if it’s anything like it was in Malawi, I’ll probably be
trying to hold back from crying. The welcoming ceremony
opens the heart in ways you could only imagine or know by
myself involved. I saw it with my own eyes. I felt it in my
heart by experience. Something ignited within that was
different than anything I’ve ever felt before.
experience.
How can someone reading this best help your team?
I’ve learned I can riddle myself with ways to give back. I’ve
The easiest way is of course to make donation! You can rally a
learned now to pick one, research it, and check in with
community as well by sharing it on social media. Showing
intentions before ever-moving forward. If it the alignment
empowers you – then make action immediately. That is your
your support in creative ways is badass too. Reach out to us if
you have some rad idea and would like to get involved. We’re
time to move forward. I think I was trying to solve any
worldly issue I could and it prevented me from taking action
just over 50% of our goal. A $22 donation gives a child an
education. Its important they know our school will give an
because I didn’t know why I was getting involved – I just
wanted to be involved. If you don’t know why you’re there,
you could actually do more damage than good.
equal opportunity to females and to the boys. That’s a huge
What part of Nepal will your team be working?
programs in our school. We want to start an adult literacy
program. We’d like to use some of the money to give an
reason why we chose buildOn. The faster we reach our goal,
the sooner we can also start fundraising for additional
We will be building somewhere in the far western region of
Nepal near Dhangadhi. We don’t currently know for certain.
opportunity to someone in buildOn’s youth program here in
the states to travel to Nepal, Malawi, or wherever they feel
BuildOn really investigates where they build thoroughly. It’s
empowered to visit.
quite the process. As soon as they know, they’ll inform us.
61
THE CONE - ISSUE #8 - WINTER 2016