Suburban Man Raising Money to Build School in Nepal

Photo courtesy of John Palatine

An Oswego man is raising money for a community in Nepal that’s been without a school for almost a year due to an earthquake that rocked the region last year.

John Palatine has always had an interest in the area, but when the earthquake struck he wanted to do something.

“I wanted so badly to go and help but the opportunity wasn’t there for me at the time,” Palatine told Patch. “When I learned about a charity event taking place during the one year anniversary, I knew this was the chance to not only offer my assistance by helping to rebuild a school, but also trek two weeks in the Himalayas to Mt. Everest base camp and back.”

Around $90,000 is needed to to build the school, according to Palatine, who said $40,000 has already been raised from donations in Canada.

He is asking for $50,000. Less than $1,000 of that has been raised.

That’s where people like you come in. Palatine has organized his fundraiser much like Kickstarter - the more you donate, the greater your reward is.

For example, $10 gets you appreciation. For $25, you’ll get your name on a plaque that will hang in the school and a picture will be sent to you. For $50, you’ll get what’s offered on the $25 level, as well as a prayer flag that will be hung on the Mt. Everest base camp. To see other levels, visit the fundraising site.

Palatine understands if you’re maybe a little unsure about sending money to a stranger, so he encourages doubters to visit the official website of a registered nonprofit to make a donation.

Palatine will travel to Devi Jal Kumari, the school in Gorkha that was destroyed, to donate the money. The children in Gorkha have either been without a school or have had to travel a great distance to get an education, according to Palatine.

“Many of the children are either unable to attend school or are having to walk at least an hour each way to get to the nearest school,” Palatine said. “This particular school that was destroyed is in an extremely remote part of Nepal in a town called Gorkha, which was the epicenter of the earthquake.”

After doing some research, Palatine said he found Gorkha hadn’t been receiving the same amount of attention as other cities.

“I got a hold of a local there and asked what is needed the most. And when he said their local school was destroyed and they are getting next to no assistance, I knew right then that this is where I wanted to pour my time and effort into,” Palatine said.

Palatine will be leaving for Nepal April 10.