december 2020
Patagonia sustainability project stands on its own feet
Even though we aren't traveling right now, Trek Relief funds are going the distance and carrying our good energy abroad! We are so pleased to see our Patagonia project taking on a life of its own after our development and startup investment in this grassroots sustainable community project on our last trip back in March. Here is some footage capturing their second recycling pickup in the region.
Sometimes it just takes a little bit of love, courage, and muscle to get a good idea going. Got an idea of your own? Send us a message, we’d love to hear about it!
October 2020
COVID update: Nepal reopens to climbers and trekkers who missed prior trips due to pandemic
***Note: Though things are starting to look hopeful for the Nepal travel industry, Trek Relief’s service programs are still temporarily suspended until further notice.***
For now the reopening will come with restrictions and mainly be limited to those seeking to to climb or trek its famous peaks. Foreign visitors are a major source of income for Nepal and the closure has impacted the estimated 800,000 people who work in the tourism industry.
“We are not opening the country for all visitors, only mountaineers and trekkers who have taken prior permit will be allowed to come to Nepal,” said Rudra Singh Tamang, director general of Nepal’s Department of Tourism. “We are opening to a sector of visitors who we know we can handle and manage.”
In addition to obtaining a visa on arrival, visitors now need to get prior approval, give details of their itinerary, hire a local outfitting company and have health insurance that covers COVID-19 treatment. They are required to take a coronavirus test before leaving their home country, stay for a week in quarantine at a hotel in Kathmandu and then take another coronavirus test before being allowed to go up the mountains.
Nepal has reported 176,500 coronavirus infections since the pandemic began and 984 deaths. The nation of 30 million people is running short on hospital beds and the government has asked patients with less than life-threatening symptoms to stay at home in isolation.
July 2020
Patagonia × Solar Eclipse 2020 trek cancelled due to COVID-19 measures
It is with a heart full of care that we have decided to postpone our second trip to Patagonia. Apart from the logistics — including extended border closures worldwide — this decision became clear to us as we realized that it is in the best interest of our beneficiaries, whose remote location is keeping them safe.
However, we are still committed to seeing the project to completion, and are continuing to provide financial support to our program. Our wonderful COO and Patagonia Program Manager Sarah Nguyen has been safely quarantining within our beautiful project region in Patagonia, and we are grateful that she is still able to manage the project locally despite our decision to not run our 2020 trips. Go, Sarah, go!
May 2020
Trek Relief highlights local COVID-19 response efforts and offers support to back individual initiatives
During the #GivingTuesdayNow movement, Trek Relief highlighted The Midnight Mission and volunteering to make personal protective equipment for the frontlines as ways to support local emergency efforts. In addition, it offered its platform as a support vehicle for initiatives made on the individual level.
“An Invitation”
During this global time of crisis, this isn't the time to be divided.
If COVID-19 gave us a gift, it would be the undeniable truth that we are all connected.
There is fundamentally no difference between "you" and "I" and "they".
What we do for others is also doing for ourselves.
The pandemic has granted us the chance to pause, reflect,
And dream of a more beautiful world, and of the individuals that we get to become for it.
True change starts with us.
It begins within the individual, and spreads to the household,
It gains momentum in community, and influences the legislative.
On what level do YOUR gifts best shine?
And, what better day to start than today?
If you have an idea and you'd like to collaborate,
Know that this nonprofit is your tool. We created this, after all, together.
It can provide corporate matching, a crowdfunding platform,
Our philanthropic audience, and I offer you my support.
Its strategically broad mission statement can be applied to any cause, anywhere.
Trek Relief can be your vehicle for change.
Reach out, share ideas, inspire action. Let's dream, talk, and do.
You are incredibly powerful. And your attention, your energy, means everything.
It all can start with You.
April 2020
In light of COVID-19, Trek Relief postpones Nepal and Mongolia trips in 2020.
To protect our beneficiary communities and help limit the spread of the pandemic, we have decided to postpone our scheduled trips in the first half of the year. Our highly anticipated Nepal School Handover Ceremony and Mongolia program are tentatively postponed until 2021. During this time, we encourage our supporters to stay home, prioritize their physical and mental health, and donate directly to their local emergency relief funds. In the meantime, we are brewing up plans about how we can respond to the global recovery process.
March 2020
First Patagonia trip successfully completed before international borders close
Just as Chile declared their state of emergency to limit movement at their borders, our new Sustainable Community Development program in Patagonia was officially inaugurated with the first of 5 recyclable waste centers in the Aysén region. Situated at Liceo Rural School in Villa Cerro Castillo, this bin serves the entire community’s needs to store 7 types of recyclable materials for transport and processing in the region’s capital.
Our partners at Kyklos will host ongoing educational programming for the students to transmute this from a physical asset to an instilled habit. Thank you to our supporters for their precious involvement to turn this dream into a reality!
Proposed space for recyclable waste infrastructure.
Beautifully designed by architect Tomás Rodriguez Goren and constructed by custodians of the school.
Thank you to our very first crew of trekkers and donors for their invaluable support!
The new “Green Point”, with our architect, friends at Kyklos, and group of trekkers.
February 2020
Party with Purpose III Fundraiser update
Chief Operations Officer Sarah Nguyen shares about how the Patagonia program was created.
A BIG thank you to everyone who helped make our Party with Purpose so incredible this year! We enjoyed a beautiful evening of donated performances, and felt uplifted by all of the various ways people showed their support. The night was a huge success - we celebrated our supporters and achievements, raised awareness for our programs, AND brought in over $8,000 which will help drive our charitable projects around the globe. Bravo all! Here’s to another year progress, passion, and smiles!
January 2020
Langtang Valley school update: our rebuild project is almost complete!
The rebar for the roof structure is the latest addition to the school build, and must be hand-carried from the road to the school site.
We are thrilled to announce that we are on schedule to have our school be finished in time for our 14th and final trip to Langtang Valley to celebrate the handover of our school! This has been a 3 year, $50,000 project that has superseded the difficulties of managing a construction project in a developing country, such as time zones, language barriers, political changeover and strong characters. But because of the good will of our compassionate trekkers, together we have accomplished what most individuals would never dare to undertake.