JRM Foundation “The Dream Team”

Hill village in Waku-9 of Solu Khumbu. See those ORANGE tents on the top right? Yep. That’s where we landed.

You’ve heard about the JRM Foundation, but probably don’t know the people behind the scenes who make it all happen. This is the JRM team that visited Solu Khumbu and Sindupalchowk Districts this week.

“Namaste Dr. Rahim” and “The doctor with the beard” greeted him with a smile across Sindupalchowk

Dr. Fahim Rahim, MD FASN — “Commander in Chief”
Quote: “Work hard. Play harder.”
Who?: Award-winning humanitarian, entrepreneur, investor, nephrologist and all around great guy. Please think twice before hiking up a mountain with him. He may be twice your age, but will be twice as fast. Oh, he’s also a professional mountain biker in Idaho.
Injuries: Fell off some rocks and landed into a poison ivy bush. Cuts, bleeding, and hives formed across his arm, back and legs.

Gokul Thapa under the Turkish Airlines A330 to escape the heavy downpour.

Gokul Thapa, The Midas Touch - “The guy who makes it all happen.”
Quote: “Ok,” that’s all he says when you need something taken care of.
Who?: He has climbed up to the summit of Mount Everest. Yes, really! He’s an entrepreneur in Nepal’s thriving tourist industry. It’s called Real Himalaya. If you want to visit Nepal, especially for hiking or trekking, give Gokul a shout.
Injuries: None.

Amy with kids at Yangri in Sindupalchowk.

Amy Munankarmi, Registered Nurse — “Nepali Buhari”
Quote: “Rakshi khane?” asked Boby, and she replied, “Rati ma hola!”
Who?: Born and raised in Boston, but shockingly doesn’t have a Boston accent. Besides being a fantastic nurse, she has an uncanny ability to connect with people. Oh, and she speaks Nepali fluently.
Injuries: Surprisingly ok after a really bad tumble down the mountainside.

spreading *fist bumps* in Hill village of Solu Khumbu

Trent Whitney, Idaho Police Sergeant — “The Kraken”
Quote: “A shit show like this is what memories are made of,” said Trent, while we took shelter under the Boeing Airbus 330 Turkish Airliner to seek refuge from a sudden downpour.
Who?: Trent is the life of the party, and it’s always a party when you’re around him. He showed school kids in Waku-9 of Solu Khumbu the moonwalk, and taught a little girl how to fistbump (pic above). He does have a game face when he’s working though, and fills in all over the place. He jotted down detailed notes through out the trip on his iPhone. I will be publishing those in my next post for you all to read.
Injuries: None.

Dave Coffin — Architect from Idaho — “Dr. Dave”
Quote: “It’s all load bearing. Quit using that word like you know what you’re talking about,” Dave schooling the construction workers in Yangri.
Who?: Dave wore many hats in Nepal, including helping run the health clinics, where he cleaned wounds with Betadine and dispensed meds every minute as Dr. Rahim would call out for them on the walkie-talkie. It was a treat to work with him this week. He’s easy going, relaxed and cracks silly jokes. But if he’s on a construction site, there are no fun and games. He’s got his poker face on, and it’s 100% work. He said, “If it ain’t broke, fix it till it is.”
Injuries: None.

Rusha Shrestha, Registered Nurse — “The Sweetest Person Ever”
Quote: “Leeches were everywhere!” explaining her near death experience while hiking from Manekharka to Yangri.
Who?: Rusha really is the sweetest person on this trip. She selflessly and tirelessly works and looks out for the team. A real gem of a person. She’s a registered nurse and practices in Texas. She lives there with her husband and two sons. Can you believe SHE DELIVERED A BABY at the Health Clinic in Manekharka? (No, not her! I mean, she was the nurse.)
Injuries: Left calf muscle hurt badly after a tumble down the hill. Gokul saved the day by holding her calf in place. GGG — Good Guy Gokul. Luckily she was up and walking within an hour, although still sore.

Talha Rehman, Doctor — “Dr. Tanha”
Quote: “Jinki diware sheesho ki hoti hain — woh basement mein kapde badalte hain” (Those who live in glass houses, change clothes in the basement.)
Who?: Talha is a Doctor from Karachi. He wears many hats, but usually not literally. He’s pretty straight forward when he speaks English, but the gloves come off when he speaks Urdu. :)
Injuries: Headache in whole body after 4 hour hike to Yangri from Manekharka.

Khalid Ali Nawaz, Doctor — “Red Bull”
Quote: “Ok. I’m ready to go now…. I just need to take a shower!”
Who?: The fast-talking, fast-moving doctor from Leeds, England, left a trail of crushed Red Bull cans wherever he went. That’s how we would track him down.
Injuries: None.

Prabin Khanal working away on building the house in Yangri.

Prabin Khanal — Civil Engineer — “The Dude”
Quote: “I love your body!” he said to someone, and the room erupted in laughter.
Who?: A great all around dude that gets it done for the team. Prabin has an uncanny ability to connect with everyone and in the villages we visit.
Injuries: None.

Amrit Sharma — embedded journalist and “that guy”
Quote: “Kyun apna, mera, aur kaum ka waqt zaya kar rahein hain!” to Tanha for taking a really long break during the hike to Yangri from Manekharka.
Who?: I’m just grateful to be with this dream team. Stay tuned for many more photos and articles in the next couple days. You can see my writing portfolio here.
Injuries: None.

Shout-outs:

Boby Lama — a rockstar, literally a rockstar.
He’s the lead guitarist for Mongolian Heart. He single-handedly led one of the largest relief missions in Sindupalchowk District. Boby helped JRM Foundation out in a critical negotiation for a major project. Click here to listen to their YouTube playlist.

Khusi Hona — Matthew van Rooyen, Geet Sharma, and team.
“Feel Happy” is a Non-Profit Organization with projects in India and Nepal. This lean group of young social workers are well-organized and crowdfunded through their Facebook group. I can’t speak highly enough about them. They’re truly an amazing bunch of guys and gals. You can follow them on Facebook here.