In 2015, Nepal was hit with its biggest earthquake in 80 years, killing nearly 9,000 people and injuring 22,000 more. Several of our staff are from Nepal and to us it was important to show support for them, as well as to do something from a humanitarian stance. When we first started planning, our hope was that if we could touch the lives of 10 or even 20 people then it would make a difference. Little did we know just how much more we would be able to do.
After much deliberation, the directors and organisers of Whisky Show decided to host a charity tasting with a special bottling created for the event. A Karuizawa masterclass, featuring whisky bottled specially for the event and hosted by Dave Broom, was attended by 45 people and raised £250,000. Auctioning a further two of the special bottles in the UK and Hong Kong raised another £20,000.
After extensive research and consultations with a number of organisations, we selected the charities we would work with. We then worked closely with them to ascertain which projects we and they felt would do the most good for the largest number of people, across as wide an area as possible.
We are delighted to have been able to support the following charitable organisations:
Maiti Nepal
Maiti Nepal works to protect Nepali girls and women from crimes like domestic violence, trafficking for flesh trade, child prostitution, child labour and various forms of abuse, exploitation and torture.
The organisation works tirelessly to obtain justice for the victimised girls and women through criminal investigation and the waging of legal battles. Since its inception, Maiti Nepal has done a huge amount to highlight trafficking issues in Nepal with its strong advocacy at local, national and international levels.
The Whisky Exchange donated £102,000 to Maiti Nepal, funding the construction of four transit homes and work to repair a damaged women’s rehabilitation centre (Itahari), a transit home (Nepalgunj) and a Hospice(Sattighatta). The Whisky Exchange co-founder Rajbir Singh’s two daughters also spent 10 days visiting and working with Maiti Nepal in 2019.
Help Nepal Network
Help Nepal Network is a global charity run on a volunteer basis. The charity aims to support those in need and offer assistance in the areas of health and education.
The Whisky Exchange donated £22,000 to Help Nepal Network for the construction of four classrooms at a secondary school in central Nepal. This has so far benefited 152 pupils with 12 teachers, helping to boost the educational welfare of Nepal’s future.
Nepal Trust
The Nepal Trust operates in one of the most impoverished and remote areas of human habitation in the world. Through working with local Nepali communities, the charity strives to improve access to basic health, education, renewable energy, sustainable tourism, agriculture, water & sanitation and heritage preservation.
The Whisky Exchange donated £30,000 to Nepal Trust for construction and rebuilding of The Bharatpur Deaf School in the Chitwan District, benefitting 150 children with hearing loss. The school continues to be very successful within the community.
Community Action Nepal
Originally created to help improve the labour conditions in the Himalayan trekking industry, CAN is still here over 30 years later. In that time, the charity has delivered or directly supported over 45 projects in Nepal such as the construction and/or development of 20 health posts, 15 schools, three porter rescue shelters and seven community buildings. CAN also currently provides access to health care, education and porter protection to 250,000 rural Nepalis.
The Whisky Exchange donated £40,000 to Community Action Nepal for the running of two mobile health camps in 2016 and a further two in 2017, all located in remote and mountainous regions of Nepal.
Projects in Gorkha
The Whisky Exchange also worked to support those in the epicentre of the devastating 2015 earthquake through the construction of 3 community halls in Gorkha. These halls benefit approximately 200 families, helping to bring together the wider community in times of need.