"Junkiris" of Nepal, Part I

By Puru Shah, edited by Anu Joshi

As the sun sets and darkness ensues, most creatures seek refuge in the safety of their home, den, nest, burrow or crevice. There is one creature in particular that continues its forage unperturbed. Despite its diminutive size, it uses darkness as an opportunity to create its own light. They are commonly known as fireflies. In Nepali, we call them Junkiris.

There are several such Junkiris in Nepal that caught my attention after the disastrous earthquakes struck the Himalayan nation. These Junkiris glow brightly in the darkness created by the inaction or a lack of swift response by the Nepali government. They sprang to aid the affected and continue to deliver their services or relief materials despite the lack of good roads, transportation or support from the national authorities. They used their literary, technical or financial prowess for aid. They deserve our due respect and recognition for their remarkable work.

Several of them and their stories have been included on our #InspireNepal page. This is not an exhaustive list. Send us names and descriptions of work done by Junkiris you have witnessed. If they are not included in this post, we will attempt to include it in Part II.

Vist our #InspireNepal page for more inspiring stories. Please send us your inspiring stories to our Twitter, Facebook or Google doc by using #InspireNepal.

Individual Junkiris

1. Kunda Dixit - Editor at Nepali Times
   He is a well-known local journalist who uses his Twitter account to rapidly share important and relevant updates. Follow him on Twitter. Also, read his articles, Lessons from Sichuan and more on his blog, East West with Kunda Dixit
2. Anup Kaphle - Foreign Editor at Buzzfeed
   He has shown the impact good journalism can have. His stories related to the earthquake in Nepal are laudable. Follow him on Twitter and read his two stories,  How Helicopters Are Helping – And Hampering – Aid Relief In Nepal and A New Generation Takes The Lead In Nepal’s Disaster Relief
3. Prabal Gurung - Nepali Fashion Designer
   Gurung is a famous New York based designer who has used his fame and connections to raise money on crowdfunding platform, Crowdrise. The current tally stands at $571,00 and its still rising. He has pledged to donate funds through a charity he is associated to - Shikshya Foundation Nepal.
4. Upendra Mahato - Non-Resident Nepali and Businessman
   Mahato has pledged to donate Rs. 150 million towards the relief and reconstruction. Rs. 30 million will be spent on relief and the remaining Rs. 120 million will be spent for rehabilitation work through Phul Kumari Mahato Memorial Trust. Read more on #InspireNepal
5. Chaudhary Family - Nepali Business Conglomerate
   Through their Chaudhary Foundation, the billionaire duo is contributing $2.5 million in efforts to reconstruct 100 schools and 10,000 houses. The Foundation will cover the cost of 1,000 homes and raise money from other wealthy donors for the remaining 9,000 units.
6. Sri Prakash Lohiya - Non-Resident Indian and Businessman
   NRI Shree Prakash Lohia has also offered to build 200 houses through his Lohia Foundation. Read more on #InspireNepal
7. Mukesh Kumar Sehgal - NRI and Businessman
   Mukesh Kumar Sehgal, managing director of UK-based SISMO Company, offered 1,000 quake-resistant houses. Read more on #InspireNepal

Groups of Junkiris

1. Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Nepal Armed Police
   They have worked tirelessly in search & rescue efforts along international teams and delivered relief materials to the affected ones. Both Nepal Police and Armed Police have donated a portion of their salaries to Nepal's PM Disaster Relief Fund. Read more on #InspireNepal
2. Bibeksheel Nepali
   They are technically a political party in Nepal. But given the tainted perception of political parties in Nepal, I view them as a political force comprised of young visionaries who are dedicated to improving the country. They have mobilized thousands of youths, and delivered relief materials to remote villages of Nepal. Read more on their website Bibeksheel Nepali, Facebook or our blog article.
3. Yellow House Group
   This venue in Kathmandu has become an unofficial hub for digital and physical volunteers to assemble before heading out with relief materials for distribution to various parts of Nepal. Read more in a Guardian article by Carole Cadwalladr. If you are in Nepal and would like to volunteer, please contact The Yellow House, Sanepa, 9741311750
4. Pulchowk Engineering Students
   The engineering students have begun building low-cost homes using materials salvaged from the rubble. Read more on #InspireNepal
5. Society of Ex-Budhanilkantha School (SEBS) Students
   SEBS, a 501c(3) non-profit with a long history of completed projects and a featured NGO on our donate page has delivered relief materials to several affected remote districts such as Sindhupalchowk, Gorkha and Dolakha. A geo-tagged map of their completed projects can be seen on this SEBS NA 2015 Earthquake Relief Fund page. Read more on their Facebook page.
6. Kathmandu Living Labs
   KLL, created by Nama Raj Budhathoki is mapping hundreds of earthquake related reports. Read more on #InspireNepal

Artistic Junkiris

1. Sajjan Raj Vaidya - See his inspiring video on #InspireNepal
2. Gaurav Dagaonkar - See his inspiring video on #InspireNepal
3. Anonmyous Time-lapse Sketch Artist - See his inspiring video on #InspireNepal

Other Individual Junkiris

1. Dr. Fahim Rahim
   Dr. Rahim traveled with his family from Idaho, US to Nepal to provide medical treatment. His team hiked three days to setup a medical clinic in Haku-9 near Solukhumbu region and treated more than 400 people. He also used his personal funds to rent a helicopter to deliver food and supplies to remote mountainous villages, inaccessible by ground transport. Read more updates on his Facebook.
2. Bipin Gaire
   Gaire founded the website Bhukampa.net (earthquake). He and eight others have amassed a network of more than 350 volunteer engineers who are carrying out visual assessments of homes, schools, and other buildings to determine whether or not the structures are safe or need to be torn down. Read more on Al Jazeera.
3. Lokesh & Aditya Todi
   The Todi cousins have raised close to $150,000 using the fundraising platform, Indiegogo Life. They post regular updates about their relief activities to keep their funders informed.
4. Avinash K. Gurung
   A team of volunteers led by Avinash K. Gurung have completed several cleaning campaigns in Kathmandu and delivered relief materials. Read more on #InspireNepal
5. Rijan Lal Mulmi
   He is an environmental management student and member of Earthquake Action Nepal. He is producing hand sanitizer that's being dispatched across the country to places where there's a water shortage. Read more on Al Jazeera.
6. Brabim Kumar
   Brabim Kumar, president of the Association of Youth Organisations Nepal, has mobilized around 1,000 self-motivated youth volunteers who are assisting in quake relief. Read more on Al Jazeera.
7. Milan Rai
   An artist who has constructed about 120 toilets in the Kathmandu Valley and in Sindhupalchowk district assisted by a team of volunteers. Read more on Al Jazeera.
8. Jimi Prem Karthak
   He is owner of The Lunch Box café in Kathmandu. The café has provided local orphanages with cooked meals on Saturdays since February, but since the earthquake its volunteers have been cooking daily and delivering food to as many as 10 orphanages. Read more on Al Jazeera.
9. Parakram Singh Yonzon
   He runs Earthquake Volunteers Control Centre with a team of volunteers. The group set up an information centre and now runs aid missions into remote parts of the country. Read more on Al Jazeera.
10. Kishor Pradhan
    He has posted stories on his Facebook account of his team delivering drinking water tanks to Baruwa VDC in Helambu region among others. Read more on his Facebook.
11. Ravi Nepal
    He is the founder of Code for Nepal and has created a Google document with resources that was among the first documents to be widely shared after the earthquake had struck. Follow him on Twitter for updates and read more on #InspireNepal
12. Dilliraj Poudel
    He was the primary force behind creating a Google spreadsheet that lists major fundraising campaigns, their beneficiaries, processing fees, emergency contact information and others. This document has been widely shared. He continues to create more Google documents in collaboration with others. See our Collaborate page for his documents and others.
13. Joanna Lumley
    British actress Lumley, whose father was a Gurkha soldier, appeared in a televised appeal for donations to aid the earthquake victims of Nepal. In collaboration with Gurkha campaigners, she raised more than £33m from the Britons. These funds will be channeled via Disasters Emergency Committee (UK) and United Nations's emergency appeal. Read more on Daily Mail.

Other Groups of Junkiris

1. Humanity Road
   Source of disaster preparedness and response information. See Resources.
2. Ushahidi
   Supporting Online Volunteer Response to the Nepal Earthquake. See Resources.
3. Team Jaswant
   #TeamJaswant is a stellar example of the grass-root relief efforts taking place all over Nepal. They have been raising funds and supplying aid to rural parts of Nepal. It was initiated by Jaswant Dev Shrestha. Read more on #InspireNepal
4. Katuwal Grill Udhyog
   This business has pledged to construct temporary homes for quake victims using corrugated metal and metal pipes at the cost price of Rs. 25,000. Read more here.

Puru Shah is a team member of One Stop Portal. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science (Electrical) from Trinity University in San Antonio, USA.