Hokse in Palanchok, also nicknamed “Kidney Village’ as almost everyone in this small village has sold a kidney or knows someone who has. I’ve heard rumors of some who have sold one for US$500 to US$1000 just to support their family financially after the Nepal earthquake.

The so called ‘organ brokers’ from India had persuaded many earthquake survivors here to sell their kidneys for a little cash so they can build new houses or buy land outside of Kathmandu.

I first met Beth and Depu who run the Secret Garden hostel, here in Kathmandu and they had told me the same thing. Secret Garden is a friendly backpackers hostel that has been involved with the earthquake aid relief since day one. Today they have a grass-root society called Secret Garden Disaster Relief and they were heading to Hokse to continue the shelter building projects there.

After a short meeting with the team there, or should I call them a group of backpackers, hearing about their projects and the ‘kidney rumours’. I made plans to join them for a trip.

We took a bus there from the ‘Old Bus Park’ here in Kathmandu, a local bus stuffed with people and bags on the roof top. It took us about 3 hours to get there to a town called Palanchok. Walked a little more to the hill top where we met up with one of the volunteer, a tall build, long haired biker looking Dutch guy covered with tattoos and a nice smile. He had just finish completing a shelter with the help of kids from the village. Kids who are like his fans, always following him around (like bees to honey).

Hokse is a beautiful mountain village, friendly locals who welcome you with a cup of ‘chia’ (tea), mangos, weed and smiles. Most of the houses here were also destroyed by the earthquake, they had not been receiving much aid from NGOs and societies compared to many other villages. Some of the villages are rebuilding their houses again, I’m wildly guessing with the money they receive selling their kidneys.

Meeting Soulful Volunteers

It took us about an hour to get our backpacks and tents sorted before heading out to the first project site after the Nepal earthquake. Building a shelter for the locals was the main priority, with the monsoon bringing heaving downpour it had to be done quick.

Another backpacker that I met in Kathmandu followed along as a volunteer, an English girl living in Berlin now. She was so unique to me, had a tattoo on the side of her partly shaved head, liked collecting spoons, made paper scans of objects and miniature bronze designs. She always had this wide view of any small conversation.

So with five of us here today, the team went on working really fast, getting to the site, cutting bamboos and digging holes. They were divided into two groups, one team on each site, different parts of the village area. I walked around talking to locals and taking pictures.

It wasn’t too long that I found locals who wanted to share their experiences with me. I guess with them learning that I spoke Hindi, this made it easier for them to let me know a little more. The stories always started the same way, how they lost everything, all their belonging and how life is difficult today.

I been here a little over a month now and I seem to know exactly what they would say to the question, “So tell me how is life today?”. And I wait for them to tell me more. I was here to listen.

“I use to live in this house before, now I live in a tent. My son left me here to suffer, no one has come to give me aid, I have a little food and this small tent. Can you even call this home? I lost everything after the earthquake.”

I later found out that he is the village drunk and had lost everything even before the earthquake. Do we discriminated who we help? I wondered.

“I don’t need a shelter or a new home. I’m happy with what I have here and I can live in this temporary house even if it’s all cracked. I can cook outside. All I need is more rice, that’s the most important thing to me today. Rice. Do you have rice?”

I smiled back and said I’ll see what I can do. I walked away thinking how do I start here, what do they really need but I know I can’t generalise everyone. Each one of them will have something they need today. After shelters.. what will they need more?”. I needed to talk to more locals to find out.

Shelters that were build by Secret Garden come with the zinc CGI sheets for the roof, bamboo for the frames and a new solid structure. I can’t put words into this but they were strong shelters. The locals then put up their own walls and doors based on what they are use too. “This are structures that the locals are use to build, we just made them stronger and we teach the locals how to build them.” – Harry, the aid coordinator.

They were here to finish building 8-9 more new shelters. Each shelter took about 1 day to be completed. Some took longer when it rains or it had to be cleared from the old temporary tents locals had set up.

The lead builder of the team was an older guy from New Zealand, he is a type who doesn’t have much to say, the kind deep in his own thoughts. Always with a cigarette in his hand and when asked a question, you get a blank stare, an eyebrow up with an answer “Yuuup.” He made things happen on the field here. Less words and more work type. Like accessing new locations and planning the build. 

He always had my full attention and respect. 

It was a new experience for me, to be part of this amazing grassroot team, a group of friends getting together to help the locals here. Some who have been in the team since the earthquake and some who are just coming here for a week to volunteer, passing through lives. Either way they give their time, energy and presents just to be a little more. A little more of a human being.

Like the one we called her the ‘Siberian Tigeress’, a Russian who showed us her strong self, felt no pain, sees no fears (except for bugs and insects). We joked about her drinking vodka and walking hand in hand with bears to the red square. She was one of the strongest minded women I met. She got the locals working with her even when they got lazy, mainly the local Nepali man.

They sit around watching the women build, making excuses about being tired and later getting drunk at night. “You don’t sit and watch me, this not show, you work now or you leave.” (read that in a Russian accent).

She is about 80 years old. When the earthquake happened, she was alone in her house, the shocks damaged the walls and roof, one of the walls fell right on top of her but she survived with minor bruisers and hurting her leg. She is just tiny lady and she sits under this tree all day.

I made many new friends here, with the volunteers and the locals. We always had local kids asking us a million questions, man staring at this white girls working and local women giving us goodies. The next day we left to another new location a little down the mountain village, called Ward 6. Harry managed to get a local family to host us and let us camp around their compound.

After the daily morning breakfast, chia (tea) and noodles we went off to the new locations of the build site. Five more shelters to build and a common toilet. This is what their daily routine is like – breakfast, build, lunch (when hungry), build till sunset, dinner, sleep.

We had mainly chia, dhal batt and mango pickle daily for the next six days. Slept in tents, woke up to no water to brush or shower, getting it from the water source in the rice fields, no electricity at times and lots of laughs. This is what it took to be a volunteer here.

Now we were ten of us. A few more volunteers came the next day.

I joined along to build shelters for one day, it’s not an easy task, or maybe I have soft hands. It takes all your energy out, sunburned, exhausted, wounded hands and egos. I rather stick with my camera for the rest of the days as I’m here for what I can do best. Telling their story. 

Another volunteer who had his hands full with making toilets, shit pits and cheesy jokes was someone we called ‘Ginger’. An American with an amazing sense of humour, good coffee to share and amazing ideas. He was always accompanied by his life partner who was also this dreadlocked haired backpacker. They made a good pair, in bringing new life to our group. 

Somedays were harder than the rest as the rain poured heavily living behind heavy muddy streets and slippery slopes. Even walking seemed to be a challenge for most of us. Especially when you are carrying heaving loads with you like iron bars and tools.

Either way it didn’t matter as the daily task needs to be completed, so with their minds programmed to finish the shelters and support from each other to get going for another day of hand bruising work.

Another volunteer was the all out one, he will get anything done with no complaints, always with a smile, a young soul and a good sense of humour, the Kiwi kind. Also a volunteer builder traveling on a motorbike here, who is used to this conditions, from New Zealand, still planning to travel further into Asia and excited to get to Philippines.

Controlling My Emotions

I took a walk downhill trying to find a local to tell me more about the kidney trafficking, through some dirt roads about two or three kilometers away. I found another village and this grandmother.

“I been living here all my life, today I lost my home and they did not build me a shelter. My daughter in law and my son lives with his family now but there is no place for me. The locals here give me some money if I work in their farms. No one is giving me a space to live with them, no one is helping me and I am alone. Can you build me a shelter?”

I got really upset about this, without thinking, I shouted at the villagers looking by, “You make this old grandmother work for a little rice? Can’t you share at least a cup of rice from all of the families here. Shame on you!” they said nothing and some put their heads down in embarrassment.

A local NGO came to build shelters in this area away from where we camping. They build shelters for families by names given to them by the local authorities. Some did not get shelters as they had no families with them. It’s a sad fact that even after a natural disasters, humans still only think about themselves first. Parents and elderly get discriminated by those who only care of their own. Even their own children left them behind.

My days here were filled with new experiences, a new way of life, what families are all about, religious and cultural believes , the good and the bad. I guess we are only humans when it comes to being in the same environments. As volunteers or as locals living here, somehow shared the same space and presents. We are here today in this space for one purpose, to rebuild lives. Somehow to share lives.

I also met a French volunteer who wakes up early each day doing meditation, isn’t someone to be taken lightly. She maybe delicate, she may not be as strong enough to dig two feet holes but she has the kindest spirit. She does what she best knows how, still making herself useful everyday. One day I saw her digging a muddy drain all around a shelter, all day by herself.

Why Do We Volunteer?

To me volunteering comes with a presence, a way of life that many want to try but many fail at times. At the same time to fail is to learn, and to try again. It’s never perfect and perfection is not what we are looking for. Volunteering disaster aid relief comes with a vision, ideas and a hope to give a little back. At times the vision can be our own and at times shared with a few.

It comes with understanding what the locals need, what is the cultural needs and family needs. At the same time it comes with volunteers who are likeminded with the same goals. A simple goal of just being here doing a simple task. Lending a hand to create a better life.

Secret Garden Disaster Relief is a little family like that, a grassroot team created during the aftermath of the earthquake. Most of the volunteers/backpackers who had gone through the tremors together with the locals.

They formed this group immediately during the earthquake, sending food aid, medical care and more.. reaching over 6500 people, Today they build shelters, schools, and rebuild communities, I was lucky enough to have found them and we will be getting the solar lights into the same areas! All ordinary people like you.

So if you are planning a trip to see Asia, come to Nepal, be part of this volunteer group. Stay in Secret Garden hostel, Kathmandu, experience the life of a volunteer, a backpacker with a family here and at the same time join along to help the locals. Experience the local life with a group of likeminded friends.

Learn more about Secret Garden, support their projects as funds are needed to get things done here. secretgardendisasterrelief.org

I will be here… sharing little secrets.