I had considered postponing this story.

As news of the devastating flash floods across Nepal continues to unfold, we have been overwhelmed—following updates, checking on people we love and trying to understand the extent of the loss.

All members of our Paddle Nepal family and guide team are currently safe and accounted for, and we are deeply grateful. But we know many people have lost so much.

The story we had planned to share next in our twentieth-anniversary series feels impossible to ignore. It is the story of another time when Nepal was hurting—and of what grew from one small effort to help.

An Empty Barrel

In the first days following the 2015 earthquake, life in Pokhara was slowly returning to something resembling normal.

Elsewhere, the situation was catastrophic.

Many villages belonging to the families of our Paddle Nepal staff had been destroyed. Remote communities were struggling to receive help, while friends and former guests from around the world were asking what they could do.

We placed an empty barrel outside the Paddle Nepal office with a simple request:

Donations welcome for earthquake recovery—sleeping bags, clothing, shoes, tents, first-aid supplies and dried food. Please leave them here, and we will distribute them to those in need.

The barrel filled.

Then it overflowed.

Donations spread beyond our office and into neighbouring businesses at the Centerpoint Complex (later renamed Lakeside Center).

What began as a small collection point soon grew into a much larger collaboration.

Local businesses, trusted relief organizations, Nepali volunteers and foreign visitors worked side by side—raising funds, sorting donations and helping food, water, shelter and essential supplies reach some of the hardest-hit communities.

People offered whatever they could.

Some gave money or supplies. Some gave their time. Others offered vehicles, storage space, knowledge or connections. Guests contributed payments from trips they could no longer take.

Our Paddle Nepal staff and guides worked long hours, even as members of their own families and home villages lived with devastating loss.

The collaboration became known as the: Centerpoint Relief Initiative – Pokhara.

It did not belong to Paddle Nepal alone. It belonged to everyone who stepped forward and asked:

What can I do to help?

This little video tells the story far better than we can:

Returning to the River

Thirteen intense days after the earthquake, Paddle Nepal began operating rafting and kayaking trips again.

Returning to business felt complicated while so many people were suffering, but restoring tourism was also important to Nepal’s recovery.

The relief work continued, but we also needed to return to the river—to our livelihood and to the place where we knew how to breathe, regroup and begin finding our way forward.

Looking back, it is still difficult to comprehend how quickly everything grew.

There was no grand plan.

There was an empty barrel, a simple request and a community willing to help.

For a brief moment, life appeared to be settling. Trips were departing again. Supplies were reaching communities in need. We were exhausted, but we believed we had made it through the worst.

Then the earth shook again. (To be continued in Part Three…)

This reflection is part of Paddle Nepal’s 20-year journey on Nepal’s rivers.

Then and Now

Today, as Nepal once again faces devastating loss, these memories feel painfully close.

The circumstances are different. Emergency response today is conducted through coordinated and authorized channels, and we respect that process.

As a Rescue 3 Training Provider, Nim has offered his professional expertise to the appropriate authorities. He and members of our qualified team remain safely in Pokhara unless and until assistance is requested and authorized.

Sometimes the most responsible way to serve is to prepare, remain available and follow the direction of those coordinating the response.

We share this story not to compare two disasters or turn attention away from those suffering today.

We share it because, when our country is hurting, it helps to remember what can grow from one small act of service.

An empty barrel.

A community coming together.

And one simple question:

What can we do to help?

Our hearts are with every person, family and community affected by these floods.  Please continue to pray for Nepal.

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Current Emergency and Donation Information

For emergency assistance:
APF: 1114 | Nepal Police: 100 | Ambulance: 102 | DEOC: 1234

To contribute to the Government of Nepal Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund:
Donation Link

For up todate information from the Nepal Tourism Board
NTB Link