In April of 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal with an epicenter near Everest base camp. Eleven local workers died in a blast avalanche, including Chimi Dawa. He was unmarried but left behind his mother, Ang Lamu Sherpa, and sisters, Pali and Dali.
After Pali connected with the Juniper Fund, she immersed herself in English and cooking classes. She opened a restaurant in Kathmandu and soon after, gave birth to her daughter. Through her cook training she learned how to cook Nepali, Indian, and Chinese dishes. Her restaurant has been a success, and she is able to support herself and her young daughter. While many of the Juniper Fund’s families use money from the cost of living grant to fund their children’s education, Pali and her sister used the money to support their own mother instead. Pali is still able to provide her daughter with a good education through the profits from her restaurant and she is proud of her business and her food, which she works hard to perfect with each meal.
With the cost of living grant money, Chimi Dawa’s mother focused on building a stupa in her village to honor her son. The story of this stupa reaches back several years. Years ago, the village had a stupa, but it was destroyed. Chimi Dawa dreamed of rebuilding it, but never had the chance to fulfill this wish before he died. His mother decided to realize his dream and used some of the money from the Juniper Fund to begin the process. When the other residents of the village heard about her mission, they pitched in more money, happy to play a part in honoring Chimi Dawa.
The stupa now stands out amongst the green pastures of Khiraule, rising strong toward the sky. Like the famous mountains that surrounds it, it beckons to the eye and serves as a poignant testament to a powerful dream. The family plans to save some of the money from the cost of living grant, which is especially important as his mother ages. They are hopeful for their future in both the village and in Kathmandu.