Children need hope, they need REWA

Flood disaster in Nepal

No doubt, like us, you have seen the images of the unimaginably vast and devastating mudslide that, on 26 August 2026, razed entire valleys in the Nepalese-Tibetan border region to the ground and wiped out lives and homes in a matter of seconds. The unspeakable suffering caused by this force of nature has deeply shaken us.

Sanjaya Lama - "Sanze" 2014

Our former colleague and partner in Nepal, Sanjaya Lama – known as ‘Sanze’ – was directly affected and only just managed to save his life. He was working as a tour guide with a group of 15 Indian tourists near the Tibetan-Chinese border when they were caught unawares by the flood. As luck would have it, he was already standing outside the hotel whilst the rest of the group were still inside packing their belongings. When he saw the disaster approaching, he tried to warn them and managed to escape uphill at the very last moment. The hotel, along with the entire trekking group, was swept away by the floodwaters. He was the sole survivor, and to this day remains scarred by the trauma of what he experienced. All his equipment, the money he was carrying, his earnings, and the deposits for expenses during the trek – everything was swept away by the floodwaters. As a result, he finds himself in a precarious financial situation. The family lacks the financial means to pay for rent, food and everyday living expenses. There is no state welfare system to support them. He is currently suffering from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, meaning that returning to work is out of the question at present.

For this reason, we would like to support him and his family – to lay the foundations for him to come to terms with what has happened and to find the strength to face the future!

Sanze following the floods in August 2026

Sanze has been associated with the work of Ladakh-Hilfe e.V. for many years now, as a staff member, partner and supporter.

In 2015 – more than 10 years ago – we stepped in to help those affected by the major earthquake in Nepal. That was the first time we worked with Sanze. Karola Wood had met him on Facebook in 2013 and helped support his selfless commitment to those in need. For example, he helped people who had been injured in a bus accident by covering the costs of their medical care, funded by donations from Ladakh-Hilfe e.V. In 2014, he travelled to the mountain villages of Nepal to identify children with special needs and to support them and their families. He founded the aid organisation “Emmanuel Foundation”, through which Ladakh-Hilfe supports the victims of the major earthquake and provides emergency aid. Many of you will no doubt still remember the reports and images from that time; they can be found in the older posts on this website.

Karola Wood travelled with Sanze through the Rasuwa region to support orphans in the area. This was followed by a joint trip to Ladakh, where Sanze learnt about the work of Ladakh-Hilfe e. V. and the Rewa Society.

In 2017, a major project took place in which Ladakh-Hilfe played a key role. The mountain village of Sekuchet had to be completely relocated. To this end, land had to be purchased, which was financed by Ladakh-Hilfe e. V. with 54,000 euros. The construction work is being supervised and documented by Sanze in the years that follow, with the building of the houses supported by the Nepalese government.

In 2020, the COVID-19 crisis brought financial hardship to the Nepalese mountain villages. Many men lost their jobs and, with them, their financial livelihood. Thanks to donations, Ladakh-Hilfe e. V. provides many families with essentials, particularly warm clothing, blankets and food. In 2021, Ladakh-Hilfe e. V. funded seeds for the villagers to provide them with a foundation for food security. In 2022, warm clothes for children and the elderly were once again purchased and distributed.

Throughout all these projects, it is Sanze who manages everything on the ground and ensures that the donations reach where they are most urgently needed.

He has become part of the Ladakh-Hilfe family; he visited Germany in 2017, got to know members of the association, and travelled with Karola Wood to a conference in Chennai, southern India, in 2018

He earns his own living through trekking. He grew up in a mountain village in the Rasuwa region. He started working as a porter at the age of 14 and gradually worked his way up. At the age of 17, he became an orphan. During his childhood, he witnessed his sister, then aged 2, fall from a ladder, break both her legs and die two years later as a result. These life experiences shaped him and led him to dedicate his life particularly to orphans and children with special needs, with the aim of offering them prospects for the future. Sanze left his mountain village in the Rasuwa region and moved to Kathmandu to pursue his education, funded by the government. Whilst studying for his Bachelor’s degree in Sociology (2005–2009), he earned a living as a porter for trekkers. In 2003, he obtained his trekking guide licence, and in 2020, his tour guide licence. Both licences require training and are demanding to obtain.

In 2024, he married a widow whose husband had died the previous year in a trekking/avalanche accident. She brought a 12-year-old disabled daughter and a 17-year-old son into the marriage. Sanze is now responsible for his family and earns a living as a tour guide.

Please help Sanze get back on his feet by providing him with temporary financial support!

All donations marked with the keyword “Nepal” will be used exclusively for this purpose.

Thank you very much for your support!

Donations to date (as at 06.010.26):