Liverpool is a multicultural hub, oozing with colourful diversity, and taking the time to engage with different cultures in our region can help us grow and learn. In this feature we explore Liverpool’s Nepalese community of around 300 or so, as we attended a charity dinner in aid of a new hospital being built in a remote area of Nepal.
To donate and help save Nepalese lives CLICK HERE!
We attended Everest Kitchen, a Nepalese restaurant in West Derby, one Monday night courtesy of Naresh Bista following our feature on his restaurant — Fajitas of Moreton. Naresh invited us along to gain a better understanding of the Nepalese people and learn about the amazing charity and outreach work they do to make the world a better place.
To donate and help save Nepalese lives CLICK HERE!
Prior to our arrival, Naresh told us: “You know, us Nepalese are good people. We have a strong sense of community — not just amongst our own people but also others. We do a lot to raise money for charity back home and here too and, for example, I make sure in my restaurant I buy from local people and employ local youths. Community is important to us.”
To donate and help save Nepalese lives CLICK HERE!
Upon arrival it was clear to see that there was a real buzz about the basement restaurant and a party atmosphere as everyone gathered together to support a great cause. It was an honour to be there and to be announced as a special guest alongside important attendees was both humbling and an honour.
To donate and help save Nepalese lives CLICK HERE!
After the introductions, key speakers such as Dr. Shambhu Achrya of Aintree Hospital began to talk about the issue at hand. In Kalikot, in the Karnali region of Nepal, unnecessary deaths have occurred due to there being no fully functional hospital available less than 12 hours journey away! As a result, marginalised communities have suffered greatly.
To donate and help save Nepalese lives CLICK HERE!
To combat this, Raskot Community Hospital, a non government and non for profit medical institution, is being built to provide medical facilities for the region and therefore save countless lives. The plan is to construct a 15 bed hospital in the Kalikot district to ensure quality health for more than 76,000 people.
To donate and help save Nepalese lives CLICK HERE!
The ticketed event, hosted cost neutral by Everest Kitchen, consisted of talks from key speakers and a raffle and donations in order to raise money for the project. Following talks we were treated to Nepalese music and dancing (they do love to crank the volume up) and a lavish dinner — with mouthwatering Nepalese and Indian food.
To donate and help save Nepalese lives CLICK HERE!
It was particularly interesting to witness the Nepalese dancing with four young girls from Liverpool, Manchester and Lancashire performing cultural dances. Anisha Wagle, a Public Health student at Liverpool John Moores University, performed a spectacular dance to classic Nepalese and Indian music.
To donate and help save Nepalese lives CLICK HERE!
On the night we were able to catch up with fellow guests, Professor Barry Pizer and his wife Jennifer. In addition to Barry being a leading child cancer doctor in the UK and a Professor at the University of Liverpool, the couple help save children’s lives in Nepal via their charity, So The Child May Live, and through this they raise money to help impoverished children get better medical help.
For more on Dr. Pizer’s charity and to donate CLICK HERE!
Jennifer Pizer told us: “We regularly go to Nepal on our outreach projects and we just love it there. The mountainous country is so beautiful and the people are the most genuine you’re likely to meet. The media doesn’t cover it much, but there are 30 million people in Nepal and many have poor health, with poor sanitation and water supplies being major factors.”
To donate and help save Nepalese lives CLICK HERE!
Dr. Pizer added: “Poverty also plays a role as the country is ranked amongst the 20 poorest in the world. The Government of Nepal’s Department of Health estimates that 30% of children under 5 suffer from stunted growth as a result of malnutrition or disease.”
To donate and help save Nepalese lives CLICK HERE!
He continued: “Access to health care can be difficult due to the geographical remoteness and poor travel infrastructure in much of the country. By building more hospitals we can help combat these issues and unnecessary deaths. Our charity has ongoing year round fundraising activities and outreach programmes and through this we’ve helped save many lives.”
To donate and help save Nepalese lives CLICK HERE!
On the night over £2,200 was raised to help towards the new hospital in Kalikot, with ongoing fundraising events to follow. We made so many new friends and came to learn that he Nepalese community are very warm and friendly. There was a great atmosphere throughout the evening as drinks and conversations flowed and children and adults danced to loud, uplifting music.
To donate and help save Nepalese lives CLICK HERE!
It’s easy in modern society to bury ourselves in our day to day lives and become insular, particularly in the Western world, however when we start to explore other communities and take time to engage with them it can be very enlightening. On the night I was bought beers and made to feel so welcome!
To donate and help save Nepalese lives CLICK HERE!
Cameraman on the night, Apar, gave Naresh and I a lift back to the Wirral as we’d missed our train due to getting carried away socialising. Apar summed it up by telling me: “You know, now you are a friend of the Nepalese community and we will do anything for you. In our community we help people, so if you ever need anything we will be there for you.”
Thanks for a great night guys — here’s to learning about different communities, saving lives and making the world a better place!
To donate and help save Nepalese lives CLICK HERE!
For more on So The Child May Live and to donate CLICK HERE!
Check out the Liverpool Nepalese Community on FACEBOOK!
Images courtesy of Apar Gurung.
