The Growing Storm
I’ve had occasion to watch a bit more of the news channels over the past few months. I was amazed to see the countless adds that ran…again and again…for the ASPCA.
And, as I thought about the challenges I face as I try to raise what funds I can for Nepal, it was almost impossible for me to imagine the size of their advertising budget. And I couldn’t help but wonder how much of the money that comes in to help those poor defenseless dogs and cats they feature in their ads actually reaches them.
My curiosity, once piqued, demanded satisfaction. So I did a bit of research, including into the salary of the chief executive officer of the ASPCA; with bonuses he was paid a bit more than a million dollars last year.. It’s pretty mind blowing.
That’s why I wanted to write a bit about this today. I think there are times when some are skeptical about donating for reasons just like this. So let me offer a different model. Our model.
At Engage Nepal, we don’t advertise on CNN. We don’t have a fundraising budget...we don’t have six or seven figure salaries — heck — we don’t even have a staff. It’s me. With some help from our board and from my wife and from a few folks who care. We operate from my home office. We pay no rent, gve no bonuses, don’t have benefits. Nor do we fund big offices in Nepal with teams driving around in SUVs telling folks what they already know. We count on our partners on the ground. Folks who know their communities and who have the trust and support of the people they serve.
Nope, we have none of the trappings of a charity like the ASPCA. What we do have, though, is commitment. dedication and an abiding determination to honor a promise we made to the people of Nepal. A promise that we will care, we will act, and we will work as partners to help them shape a future of hope and promise for all.
And here’s the other thing you need to know. In this time of crisis in Nepal as people struggle with the devastating burden imposed by COVID-19, EVERY cent that we raise in the coming weeks and months will go to our partners in Nepal. Every cent. It won’t go to salaries or ads on CNN. It will go to people and communities at risk.
Do we need your help? Of course we do. We can’t do this without you. You make it all happen and we are just the agents who help to turn your engagement into meaningful action on the ground. It’s all because of you that we can do what we do. And now — we need you more than ever.
Every day we watch the number of cases of Covid 19 grow and we see the suffering and challenges increase. Today the government has extended the lockdown yet again — to mid June now. That will be twelve weeks of isolation, of no work, and of struggle for desperate families. International flights are banned at least through the entire month Returning migrant workers are in crisis and poor families are unable to feed their children.
And, despite attempts to control the crisis, we’re now at over 1400 cases. Numbers have doubled in less than a week and, a week from now, we’ll likely be at 3000 or more. The death toll will start to grow as well, and each death will mark the loss of a son or daughter or parent or grandparent .
As for us, we must watch from afar. And we worry and we hope. But will we act?
At Engage Nepal we are committed to action. We don’t have hype and TV ads and big offices and hundreds of employees. We don’t have millions in resources. But we have you.
You make the difference. You make a choice to feed families, to protect first responders, to shield the most vulnerable and to create new opportunities that can offer a life of dignity. Your choice can give people the hope they need and reason to hold their heads high and to carry on. It’s your choice.
So YOU are my alternative to CNN. And, as the storm that is COVID-19 gathers strength and spreads darkness and despair in Nepal, you can make a difference.
Please. Donate today. Donate here. Donate now.
Please. Engage Nepal.