April’s 7.8 magnitude earthquake destroyed the inside of this school, visited by a local resident in northern Nepal. The walls will be rebuilt using concrete, instead of its original mud and stone. (photo courtesy of Gangadhar Timilsina)
GPC alumnus raising funds to rebuild schools in Nepal
Georgia Perimeter College alumnus Gangadhar Timilsina is progressing with plans to rebuild schools in his home country of Nepal, where a major earthquake damaged property and killed thousands in April. Within days, Timilsina—an Atlanta software engineer and Georgia Tech grad student—had launched a fundraising campaign to begin the process of reconstructing shattered schools, including one in the north central Nepalese village of Chapakot.
“The reconstruction work has started, where necessary items like cement, sand, bricks, rods, windows and doors [have] reached the location,” Timilsina says.
To date, the campaign has raised $17,000 of its $100,000 goal. “With the current budget, we can only construct one school,” he says. “But we would like to rebuild many more.” Timilsina encourages more people to make a tax-deductible donation through the Greater Atlanta Vedic Temple relief campaign.
“Temple’s members have strong connections in Nepal and can guarantee that every penny will directly reach those in need,” he says.
Those preferring to donate offline can mail checks or money orders to Greater Atlanta Vedic Temple, 492 Harmony Grove Rd, Lilburn, GA, 30047, with a notation to apply the donation to the Help for Nepalese fund.