Tom-
Good to hear there are fine young bike-minded gringoes in Nepal putting pedal to dirtpath and biking against poverty. My ex-roomie is a Nepali-American (mostly Nepali) whose dad worked with the Ag Planning department there- working with rural folk and transforming their infrastructure, etc... I'll get in touch with him, get him in touch with you- they are always very willing to hook those looking to help up with contacts and connections...
Stay in touch... pete morsch, the fargo-moorhead community bike workshop www.fmbikeworkshop.org
On 12/12/07, bike against bikeagainst@gmail.com wrote:
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Julian Beldotti badassbeldotti@gmail.com Date: Dec 11, 2007 6:19 PM Subject: Maybe we can fundraise? To: coordinator@fcbikecoop.org
Good morning, from Kathmandu!
I know this is sort of a bizarre request, but I'm looking for any help I can get. My name is Tom Martin, I'm an American living in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal. I moved out here after college to see what the wide world had to offer, and as you can imagine, the differences in culture are nothing short of overwhelming. Nepal is the ninth poorest nation in the world, owing largely to the fact that there is a very small skilled workforce. That's why I'm contacting you today; I'm starting the process of investigating options for opening a volunteer bike cooperative here. I worked at two separate co-ops in the US, one in New Brunswick, NJ ( http://www.nbbikelibrary.org) and one in New Orleans (http://www.rubarbike.org), where I gained a few years of experience as a mechanic and non-profit organizer. I've also worked professionally as a mechanic, and I hope to be one of the volunteer mechanics when we get Bikes for Nepal off the ground.
I need help with bikes, tools, volunteers, anything. I know you are not in the position to throw resources around, but maybe you could help me come up with ideas. I'm writing to every co-op I've been to, and hopefully we'll come up with some way to raise money or collect parts/bikes/tools for a co-op out here, which will train Nepali people for life-long careers and ensure many people have affordable transportation. Additionally, an English-speaking workshop allows those who choose to participate in invaluable training in the world's largest business language. This is an excellent opportunity for grant writers and students looking to study abroad as well, I should add.
I will be seeking NGO status here, another project with which I could use help. However, this would mean that any donations are potentially tax-deductible. Contact me for more specific details, or if you can give advice for organizing NGO/iNGOs. Of course, my qualifications and references are available before making any sort of commitment.
Feel free to circulate this email widely. Get back to me if you have any ideas. Thanks!
Tom Martin +977 980 349 3788
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