Nepali students in Minnesota have set a noble example by contributing towards their motherland at a time of crisis: they raised nearly $ 2,000 for victims of landslide that left 443 dead and more than 12,000 homeless during the last monsoon.

The cheque was handed over to the Nepal Red Cross Society this week to the mother of 24-year-old Rashmi Bhattachan who is studying in Minnesota. With the help of Empower Nepal Foundation, Rashmi managed to involve six universities in her state with 350 students to organise a cultural program Hamro Daitwa (Our Responsibility) during dasain. Many US and international students participated in the fund-raising event. We were able to spread this message across hence each individual understood the importance of the event and therefore supported it wholeheartedly, says Rashmi. Other Nepali students in California, Washington and Australia also organised similar events to help Nepal Red Cross Society aid the landslide victims.