Nepal Now / Stories / Archive 2016
Pop-up Bar in Melbourne raising funds for Nepali Kids
By Isha Balla ·
Published· Stories
Melbourne-based charity Echo International Aid is holding a pop-up bar on 18th November, 2016 to raise funds for the construction of an earthquake-proof school building for a bunch of underprivileged children of Kathmandu. To be held at the Brunswick Town Hall on November 18, proceeds from the fundraiser will go towards the EDUC school in the Basundhara squatters’ area of Kathmandu. EDUC, which stands for Education and Development of the Underprivileged Children, provides a free education for these impoverished children who otherwise would not have the opportunity to go to school. EDUC is run by two sisters and their brother (Keshari, Beena and Bishnu) who gave up their government teaching jobs to start the institution.Students are provided hot lunch, clean drinking water, uniforms, health checks and school supplies.
EDUC came in contact with the Melbourne charity organization Echo through Emma McDonald, a young philathropist from Brunswick. She was a part of the school in 2014 and was impressed by the incredible sibling team. . The university student began fundraising and working with a team of architects pro bono in Sydney through Architects Without Frontiers, before the project was taken on by Echo International.
“We are working with a team of amazing architects from HDR Rice Daubney in Sydney, through the support of Architects Without Frontiers, to design and build a new, earthquake-safe school building,” says Ms McDonald, who is a Project Manager and now a Board Member of Echo International Aid.
“EDUC is a game changer for the Basundhara community because it breaks the cycle of illiteracy by providing improverised children with the opportunity for an education. I teach at EDUC and have seen firsthand the remarkable impact the school has on the community as it skills little people to write their own futures”, she added.
Tickets for the fun-filled philanthropic night are on sale on echointernational.org.au/nepal for $15 or $20 on the door. It’s an 18+ event and hence, organisers are requesting contributors to “remember your photo ID”. All funds raised from this event will be directed to EDUC and the construction of new school buildings.
Source:http://www.southasia.com.au/2016/11/12/pop-up-bar-in-melbourne-raising-funds-for-nepalese-kids/