End of 2015 in Nepal: Blockade and Aftershocks.

Eight moths ago a devastating earthquake changed the life of many here in Nepal.
Even if our school and workshops were severely damaged we tried our best to help who lost everything and suffered more this disaster.
We shared this effort with the help of volunteers and donors from all around the world and this was possible also thanks to the contribution of our customers and friends.

During the following months many of our artists had to go to their villages to assist their families and try to fix their houses as they could.
Both these difficulties and the psychological implications of personal traumas, slowed down our work with the orders and we are truly sorry for the long delays.

Today the earth is still shaking (almost weekly) our damaged buildings but, sadly, this is not the only concern that people are fearing at this time.
In fact, since almost three months now, we have been facing an even more critical situation because of the blockade to the import of gas, petrol and other goods from India.
This is severely affecting the economy of the whole country, especially small business like ours, but majorly the people that are still in a very precarious conditions and who cannot afford to buy goods on the black market at a price 4 or 5 times higher.

Very little has been reported by the international media about the current crisis in our country and how the blind political game between the Indian and Nepali governments is effecting our daily life.
From an article of Associated Press posted few days ago:

The blockade of a key border point with India is leaving Nepal with only about 15 percent of its normal supply of gasoline, diesel and cooking fuel, and creating shortages of other goods including food and medicine.

Since most of Nepal’s imported goods flow through India, many businesses are being squeezed by the blockade. They are having a tough time paying rent, utility bills and employee salaries.

Because of these difficulties we decided to use our small resources to take care of our team of artists, especially our young students that we host in our school.
In fact, because of the cold temperatures at night here in Changunarayan and damages in the structure, we cannot use the school at this time and we decided to arrange a better accommodation for them.
At the same time we are trying to help also our master artists and their families, and the contribute of our customers is really important for them.

We hope that this blockade will end soon and with it the humanitarian crisis that many are facing. This would help our small business and school as well.
Again we apology for the delays.
Thanks for your patience, support and understanding.

Blessing
The team of TraditionalArtOfNepal.com

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