Restoration Works International

I give to support cultural and economic sustainability in Nepal

It was a bit of a rough start. When I entered international arrivals in Kathmandu, Nepal, I found the toilets but no toilet paper, lots of eager taxi drivers for hire but not the one I had arranged, and eventually my lodging but no available room. For my first time in Asia, traveling by myself, it briefly crossed my mind that I had made a big mistake.

Spoiler Alert: I hadn’t.

I cleared my allotment of travel trials in those first couple hours, and the rest of my two weeks in Nepal were filled with meaningful experiences, conversations, and true cultural exchange. And it was the nonprofit Restoration Works International (www.restorationworksinternational.org) that made it all possible.

As a cultural heritage professional, I love old places and I enjoy traveling. But I’ve struggled to find a way to reconcile those two passions with a third: supporting those who are in need. So when I heard about Restoration Works International’s work to support cultural and economic sustainability through the restoration of cultural places in the developing world, I looked into their track record.

I found Restoration Works International had been working in the Chhairo community in Nepal since 2005 to help restore a 300-year-old Buddhist monastery with tangible results. What was a once a crumbling ruin has become the home of young Buddhist monks who arrived in mid-2012. And after many seasons of collaboration between the organization’s volunteers (like me!) and local crews, the monastery has reached the stage where it can be used for ceremonies and celebrations. Many local craftspeople and community members are employed as a result. It’s working!

It was the most unique “giving back” opportunity I had ever had, and I will never forget it. I didn’t just write a check to support the project, I LIVED it for a couple weeks and left feeling that I had made the right choice in giving my time to Restoration Works International.

My contributions during the trip were minor in the larger scheme of the project (I was assigned to the gyalpo, a small chapel, to paint an alter and murals with the world-renowned Thangka painter and head lama, Shashi Dhoj Tulachan.) Yet because of the organization’s excellent work, I could support a cause that provides vital employment for Nepalis who otherwise may have made the difficult choice to work dangerous jobs as porters or in construction abroad. Thank you, Restoration Works International for you vision and commitment to GIVING! Now that the organization has almost reached its goal of finishing the restoration, I can’t wait to see where we all will go next.

Writing a check is good, volunteering is better.
For many years now, I have regularly made donations to a variety of charitable groups including local food banks; local legal aid providers; foundations seeking cures for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and Crohn’s disease; and the Red Cross. These causes are important to me and I trust that my donations, in some small way, make a difference in some peoples’ lives, even if I never actually see the impact of my donations.
Several years ago, however, I made a donation to a different type of organization, -- Restoration Works International (www.restorationworksinternational.org/)-- a volunteer vacation nonprofit committed to restoring a historically significant Buddhist monastery in the Himalaya Mountains of Nepal, one of the world’s poorest countries. For centuries, the monastery, Chhairo Gompa, had been a thriving spiritual and community center for the local Thakali people. In the mid-20th century, however, after the Communist takeover of neighboring Tibet and the closure of the border, the local economy shriveled and Chhairo Gompa was virtually abandoned and fell into serious disrepair. Fifty years later, as the local economy slowly began to recover due to tourism, local Thakali leaders partnered with RWI, a U.S.-based non-profit, to restore Chhairo Gompa and reestablish its cultural and symbolic importance to the local community.
To raise the necessary funds RWI recruits volunteers like me who donate money and travel to Nepal as part of a group that works alongside the local artisans and laborers. My first donation to RWI and trip to Chhairo Gompa was in 2007. What an experience! Our group spent twelve unforgettable days at Chhairo. I did a lot of dirty, strenuous work and it was glorious. I loved working side-by-side with the locals even though our communication was mainly hand gestures and smiles. Each day we all had lunch together – dal bhat, the traditional Nepali meal consisting of rice and spicy lentils and sides of vegetables,--prepared by local village ladies. While we worked, we could often smell incense and hear the chanting of Buddhist rituals being performed at the gompa’s small temple. Sometimes we watched as the head monk painted brilliant murals on the gompa’s walls. At Chhairo , not only could I see the immediate impact of my giving to RWI, I could hear it, smell it, taste it, feel it, live it.
My experience at Chhairo in 2007 was so meaningful that I returned in 2009 and again in 2012 and 2014. Witnessing the progress in restoring this special sanctuary to its former eminence has been extremely gratifying. Even more rewarding is the knowledge that the work that RWI has done there has profoundly improved the life of this humble and beautiful community.

Shangri La

My life completely changed when I went to Nepal.
I had no idea what to expect, nor did I ever really consider that I would go there, but it turned out to be the closest thing to heaven.
Namaste spirit, is a good way to describe the kindness, the holiness which you can feel as one walks the streets, the appreciation detail which goes into the carvings of the architecture, the pureness of the food, meeting the baby monks and walking with Sashi Lama every afternoon to nearby monasteries , the mountains.
I hold Nepal close to my heart as I would my own home.
It was an experience I cannot get enough of, and I want to go back.