Marianas Creations and Everest Kitchen are raising funds for victims of devastating flooding in Nepal, with donations from the CNMI going directly to the Nepal Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund.
Marianas Creations owner Elina Gharti Chhetri said the two Saipan businesses launched the fundraising effort following flooding in Nepal’s Rasuwa district last Aug. 26. Flyers containing a link and QR code for the relief fund are being displayed at the businesses and will also be shared on social media.
Chhetri said watching the devastation unfold from thousands of miles away has been particularly difficult for members of Saipan’s Nepalese community.
“It’s very, very heartbreaking to be watching this news from Saipan, where you can’t really do much about it,” she told Marianas Press.
Chhetri said her family and friends are safe, but that offered little comfort given the suffering of other families and the widespread damage to homes and infrastructure.
“We are lucky that our family and friends are okay, but it’s not really, you know, we can’t really, we’re not happy about it still,” she said.
Chhetri said damage to bridges and other infrastructure has made it difficult to transport people, food and other essential supplies into affected communities. She said the Nepalese government has been using helicopters to move resources and people in and out of areas affected by the flooding.
From Saipan, Chhetri said Marianas Creations and Everest Kitchen decided the most practical way they could help was to encourage the CNMI community to contribute directly to the official relief effort.
“From our side, we are going to do the fundraise here with Everest Kitchen and Mariners Creations,” she said. “It’s a link and a QR code to our Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund.”
Chhetri said donations made through the link or QR code go directly to the government flood relief account. She said anyone who wants to contribute but encounters difficulty using either option may contact her for assistance.
She said CNMI residents can relate to what Nepalese families are experiencing after the Commonwealth itself endured the devastation of Super Typhoon Sinlaku and Typhoon Bavi.
“I feel like people in CNMI, we all know what it’s like to go through this type of devastation because we’ve already seen so many typhoons and super-typhoons,” Chhetri said.
Chhetri asked the community to keep the people affected by the flooding in their thoughts and prayers. For those unable to contribute financially, she said simply sharing information about the fundraiser could help it reach more people.
“If you can donate, you can donate. If you cannot, which we all understand, we’re all in that situation too, that you could share the news and maybe get the news to more people,” she said.
Even a small contribution, she added, could make a difference for families in Nepal.
“Even a dollar would make a huge difference there,” Chhetri said.
Those with questions about donating or about the flood relief effort may contact Marianas Creations at (670) 783-1924. Chhetri said the number is also available through WhatsApp.
Chhetri reiterated that Marianas Creations and Everest Kitchen prefer donations to be made directly online rather than collected as cash by either business.
“We would like you to just, if you’re doing the money donation, just do it online instead of cash, so that it just directly goes to the people,” she said.
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