Locals of Ghale Gaun collected Rs 50,000 organizing 16th trade fair in the village and Siunrung village folks collected the same amount holding ninth trade fair with a view to help the quake-affected people.
"The earthquake did not affect our village," said Prem Ghale, president of Ghale Gaun Tourism Management Committee. "But after we learnt about the massive damage it caused in other places, we decided to collect funds for the affected."The collected funds have been handed over to Chief District Officer (CDO), Shravan Kumar Timilsina, who is also the coordinator for District Disaster Relief Committee (DDRC).
In the current fiscal year alone, 25,000 foreign tourists visited Ghale Gaun under the home stay program, according to Dirgha Ghale, a tourism manager. "Home stay tourism is a major source of income for people here," said he.
Another village, Siunrung village of Khudi VDC, has been promoting rural tourism through home stay program since the last nine years. The village, too, was unaffected in the earthquake, according to Umar Gurung, secretary of Tourism Management Committee. He further said that the collected money by the folks of Siunrung has been handed over to Rotari Club of Lumjung.
Meanwhile, Deu Bahadur Gurung, president of Kaulepani Tourism Management Committee, informed that they are also preparing to organize cultural shows inviting local and national level artists with an aim to collect funds for the quake-affected.
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