{"id":42511,"date":"2015-05-11T01:33:01","date_gmt":"2015-05-11T01:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/owegopennysaver.com\/?p=42511"},"modified":"2015-05-12T00:25:59","modified_gmt":"2015-05-12T00:25:59","slug":"owego-native-helping-earthquake-victims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2015\/05\/11\/owego-native-helping-earthquake-victims\/","title":{"rendered":"Owego native helping earthquake victims"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Owego<\/a>

Photo of Ned Fiacco in Nepal. (Provided Photos)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Owego<\/a>

The Sunkoshi Valley in Nepal.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Owego<\/a>

The Sunkoshi River Valley in Nepal.<\/p><\/div>\n

On April 25, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal, causing more than 7,000 fatalities. The tragedy made headlines internationally. For some, it may have seemed like an issue far-removed from daily life \u2013 Nepal is halfway around the world from Tioga County. But, for one former Owego resident the issue was deeply personal, and so he decided to stand up and do something.<\/p>\n

Ned Fiacco, who was a volunteer worker in Nepal from 2002 to 2007, is helping raise relief funds through his church in Idaho. Although today Fiacco is a pastor at the Shiloh Foursquare Church and lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho, he grew up in Owego and is an Owego Free Academy graduate.<\/p>\n

He fell in love with the country of Nepal during his time volunteering there. Primarily, he did development work, starting various microfinance projects for aspiring Nepalese businesspeople.<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cThe people of Nepal are extremely warm and hospitable. They have an expression, \u2018The guest is god.\u2019 They\u2019re warm and pleasant and caring. As a culture they\u2019re really brave and resilient people so ultimately they\u2019re going to do okay. It\u2019s a paradise of a country when there\u2019s not an earthquake.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pastor explained a bit about the country\u2019s terrain: \u201cIt\u2019s a mountain country. There\u2019s a strip of jungle at the bottom, but most of the country is hills \u2026 and then there\u2019s the mountainous region. That\u2019s where the Tibetan people live.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fiacco said that the problems of surviving and recovering from an earthquake in hilly terrain are compounded by other factors: \u201cIt\u2019s a third world country, with very poor infrastructure.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s disastrous when it comes to earthquakes. Fiacco said, \u201cOne of the problems is that many of the buildings haven\u2019t been built to any code to withstand the shock of a heavy earthquake. For example, [a house] might be built with cement pilings and bricks but no rebar. A lot of the buildings that you see collapsed you\u2019ll see a lack of rebar. In the villages if you ask what rebar is they\u2019d have no idea.\u201d He added, \u201cIn the worst area 60 to 90 percent of the homes are flattened.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to all this, Fiacco has been organizing a fundraising effort. So far, he said, he\u2019s been able to get around $1,000 sent over, but he said another $5,000 has already been pledged.<\/p>\n

The fundraiser is through the Shiloh Foursquare Church, with help from the Foursquare Foundation. Although the Foursquare Foundation is typically not a disaster-relief organization, in this case they\u2019ve offered to double any donations up to the first $5,000.<\/p>\n

Fiacco anticipates that the first $5,000 will go to a rural church he knows in Nepal. \u201cThey have,\u201d Fiacco explained, \u201c60 people staying with them right now, living in the courtyard of the church or just outside in the field in tarps and tents.\u201d Sending more funds will help the church continue to provide for these earthquake refugees. After the first $5,000, funds will be donated to reputable locally based relief organizations in Nepal.<\/p>\n

Donors get tax deductions because the church is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Even though the money is going to the church, Fiacco was clear that none of it would be kept by the church: \u201cOne hundred percent of the money is going right to Nepal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fiacco said that it would be great if people donated a million dollars to his fundraiser \u2013 but he was also quite clear that donating to other organizations can be just as helpful. He said, \u201cDo your homework and give to any reputable relief organization in Nepal. Don\u2019t think I\u2019m only trying to get money for my organization.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even with help from halfway around the world, there\u2019s still a lot of work to be done in Nepal. Fiacco said, \u201cThere\u2019s rescue, and then there\u2019s relief and then there\u2019s rebuilding. The rescue part is almost done and now we need to save lives through relief work. Now we need to focus on relief work and then on to the rebuilding stage.\u201d<\/p>\n

Donations can be made online at\u00a0www.shiloh4square.info\/<\/a>. All monies donated to the church will be sent to Nepal.\u00a0Ned’s brother, Rick, owns Owego Soft Serve and Village Soft Serve, and donations can be made in person at either of those locations as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On April 25, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal, causing more than 7,000 fatalities. The tragedy made headlines internationally. 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