The Oda COVID-19 Fund

My Connection to Oda

In winter 18/19 I got lucky enough of being invited to the Oda Foundation's 5 year anniversary celebration by my friend Nick Kraft. By that time I've already learned a lot about the hardship of life at this isolated yet so wonderful place from his stories. Nevertheless, when I finally arrived after an exhausting four day journey from Nepal's capital Kathmandu, I was overwhelmed by all the impressions. The few days I was able to spend in Oda were enough to see the inspiring commitment of all staff members as well as the fascinating joy and dignity in the faces of the people in this community. It's simply one of these places you don't forget.

About The Oda Foundation (Oda)
Oda helps local governments in rural Nepal provide critical services such as healthcare and education to their communities. The Oda Foundation is named after the remote village of Oda, where it is headquartered. The village is two hours from the nearest road and is located in Nepal's rural Himalayan foothills. Our dedicated team has been living and working in Oda nonstop since 2013, allowing us to be a deeply trusted partner of the communities we serve. We have been diligently responding to the COVID-19 threat since it became a public health crisis in Nepal.

What the COVID-19 Fund will Combat:

1. Food & Economic Insecurity: With lockdown measures being enforced, households dependent on migrant labor (almost all) are no longer receiving their wages to cover their family's food needs. Households with fields for agriculture will run out of food soon - demanding the need for a local food bank to be established.
2. Healthcare Constraints: The pandemic has not put a pause medical patient needs outside of COVID-19. Our healthcare team is prepared to provide for its regular flow of patients while simultaneously mitigating COVID-19 risks, but we need support! Fun fact, we delivered a healthy baby boy during week 3 of the lockdown!
3. Education Constraints: With school children at home indefinitely the world is turning to online and other tech-based solutions. Because our communities lack a basic power supply, we have begun designing worksheets and distributing them (safely) to households, however printing worksheets for an entire school every week requires a great deal of resources! 

By contributing to this campaign, you are helping us sustain and scale up our response. Every donation will be directly invested in the community and will provide real and tangible support to those that need it most.

We hope you are staying healthy and safe, and wish to sincerely thank you for considering supporting our work in these difficult times.