Nepal relief fundraising update

Sewa Rijal's appeal has raised almost AUD $3500. Thanks to all of you who have helped reach this total. It is being employed in Nepal for the reconstruction efforts. As mentioned on the donations page (fundraising now ended), the funds are going to ABARI, an NGO which specialises in low cost building with bamboo. See their work at abari.org.

Nepal Earthquake reconstruction effort update: Please contribute!

BBC reporting on the reconstruction work of Abari, the NGO
for which Monash PhD student, Sewa Rijal, is raising funds.

Since the launch of this appeal, we have collectively raised the total of the appeal to AUD $3,394 that will go a long way in helping the fighting endurance of people in Nepal post the earthquakes. This makes me realize the power that we have within each of us to make a difference by coming together in this time of great need. Thank you very much for your kindness and compassion!

Continue reading my story or donate here.

Nepali student at AMREP appeals for earthquake relief

I would like to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for coming together to support the cause in Nepal with AUD 2392.06 already collected. I am truly grateful for your generosity. It is because of your kind contributions that the hope for a better Nepal keeps afloat in our hearts amidst the tragedy. The latest tragedy being that another 7.4 quake has struck the people of my country this Tuesday (12th May), just over two weeks post the 25th April quake.

Continue reading my story or donate here. (Limited time left)

The tremors are ongoing and we are all hoping and praying for it to end. There have been more damages to lives and property mainly because the quake triggered multiple landslides that swept off villages in the east of Nepal. There have been unbelievable footages and images of destruction showing the violent movement of whole mountains – the fiercest wrath of nature that I have ever witnessed. See video 1 and video 2.

Despite the chain of aftershocks and tremors, the hopeful spirit and resilience of the people have lived on. Surely, it has left everyone scared and nervous but despite this, people are going out of their way to help each other. Nepal has finally seen a strong bond of unity to rebuild a better country that will live on for generations to come. We have all been given an opportunity to appreciate the love from our families and treasure the value of our lives to contribute to a better and brighter future.

Continue reading my story or donate here. (Limited time left)

Overall, the feeling is mixed. We have been broken but we are learning to rise, we have been left scared but we are learning to persevere, we have been made homeless but we are trying to rebuild. If you would like to contribute to alleviate this struggle of Nepal, you can still donate here. The ongoing tremors are seriously complicating government’s rescue efforts in the remote villages, so your donations will really help local NGOs work harder to reach these areas and help those in need.

Thank you once again for your contributions. You have definitely made a big difference to help ease the pain of those suffering in Nepal.


My original story for starting this campaign is below.

Dear AMREP friends and colleagues,

My name is Sewa Rijal and I am a Monash PhD student at Alfred Medical Research and Education Precinct (AMREP). Nepal, my beloved home country, was recently struck by a massive 7.9 earthquake causing a terrible loss of life and leaving millions of survivors without proper shelter, food and water. It has been a week since the incident and I am still unable to sleep at night. Being so far away, I feel utterly helpless, combined with a sense of guilt, because I am OK when others in my country are suffering so much.

Read more

Nepali student at AMREP appeals for earthquake relief

Dear AMREP friends and colleagues,

My name is Sewa Rijal and I am a Monash PhD student at Alfred Medical Research and Education Precinct (AMREP). Nepal, my beloved home country, was recently struck by a massive 7.9 earthquake causing a terrible loss of life and leaving millions of survivors without proper shelter, food and water. It has been a week since the incident and I am still unable to sleep at night. Being so far away, I feel utterly helpless, combined with a sense of guilt, because I am OK when others in my country are suffering so much.

Continue reading my full story and/or donate to this cause. This appeal has raised over $1530 AUD in three days! Please act now to contribute as every penny counts. Thanks to all those who have already contributed!

Leukemia gene discovery

Sewa Rijal, PhD student

PhD student Ms Sewa Rijal (Australian Centre for Blood Diseases) and her supervisor Dr Andrew Wei, from the Alfred Hospital, are respectively first and last authors on a paper published in the journal Blood last week.

The  group of researchers found that when the protein INPP4B was found in patients with leukemia, they did not respond to chemotherapy. Sewa told ABC, "[T]his protein can be used as another biomarker of the disease... [W]e're focusing on how it acts in leukemic cells to cause chemoresistance. So if we can find out how it works, then we can target the protein and the pathway to then treat acute myeloid leukemia more effectively."
Reference: http://www.bloodjournal.org/content/early/2015/03/03/blood-2014-09-603555
09/03/2015 ABC news story link: http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2015/s4194074.htm?source=rss