Dozens of individuals and organizations are raising funds through social media and crowdfunding platforms for reconstruction, the injured, and the dead after the Gen-G uprising. Even after nearly two months of collecting funds through the online platform, the families of some of the injured and the dead have not received any relief. Due to financial constraints, they are struggling to even buy medicine for treatment.

After the Gen-G movement, various individuals and organizations are running fundraising campaigns through social media and crowdfunding platforms like ‘Go Fund Me’. Especially, Nepalis living abroad, non-resident associations, student organizations and clubs are running such campaigns. But there is no clear information about how many are raising money, how much has been raised by whom, and how much has been distributed. Kantipur found more than a hundred ‘fundraiser’ campaigns when ‘searching’ the internet. 

Out of the 107 accounts (campaign organizers) that called for donations after the Gen-G movement, 57 have set a target of raising Rs 102.8 million, and by the time this news was prepared, it appears that Rs 25.87 million has been collected. The other 50 accounts have not collected any money. These campaigns were run from countries including Australia, the US, Belgium, and Canada. 

Out of the 57 ‘campaign organizers’, 17 have raised Rs 400,000 

They have set a target of collecting 41,700 Australian dollars or 38,756,216 rupees. They have collected 187,690 Australian dollars or 17,249,595. 16 Organizers have set a target of collecting 318,101 US dollars or 45,125,805 rupees, and have raised 51,785 US dollars or 7,342,389 rupees.  

Campaigner Vikram Dhami handing over the collected amount to 48-year-old Gita Shah of Saptari, who was injured in the Gen-G movement.

11 ‘Organizers’ are collecting money with a target of collecting 41,700 pounds sterling or 7,726,843 rupees, of which 657,800 rupees have been collected. 8 users have collected 271,847 out of the expected 34,800 euros or 5,671,634. Five users who aimed to collect 55,000 Canadian dollars or 5,519,854 have collected 348,654.

Some have created ‘fundraiser’ accounts mentioning the names of the injured and the deceased. It does not seem possible to find out how many such accounts there are. Some of the injured and the deceased’s families are unaware of the fact that relief is being collected by mentioning their names. Some have informed that they have started receiving money. They also said that the support raised through such a campaign is important for them.

Donations are being collected on ‘Go Fund Me’ by users named Rabin Rai and Paruhang Rai in the name of Santanu Dhakal, who was injured in Itahari. 1,800 pounds or 335,181 rupees were expected, but 1,506 pounds or 280,435 rupees have been collected so far. But Santanu has not received this amount. 

Santanu is not in a position to speak. His brother Alice said that they did not raise money from anywhere, saying that the money would be misused. ‘We said we would not raise money. However, we only came to know about the money being raised by showing a photo in his name when you told us,’ he told Kantipur, ‘We have not received any money from Go Fund Me.’

When Kantipur contacted Rabin Rai through ‘Go Fund Me’, he did not respond. He has informed that he will manage it by November by ‘updating’ on ‘Go Fund Me’. He has also mentioned that he will make photos and videos related to the assistance public on social media. 

Donations are being collected on ‘Go Fund Me’ with the goal of collecting 1,000 US dollars in the name of Gaurav Joshi, who lost his life in the Gen-G movement. It seems that 100 dollars have been collected in the ‘fundraiser’ account set up by Gyan Gautam for this. Gaurav's family has informed that they have not received the money collected from 'Go Fund Me'.   

Gaurav's maternal uncle Jagdish Prasad Bhatta said that the collectors are not even in touch. 'Hiroshi Khanal has also raised money in the name of the martyr. We talked to him initially, but he has been out of contact for a month,' he said. Bhatta has submitted a memorandum to the Home Ministry and the Finance Ministry regarding the misuse of donations. 'But no initiative has been taken,' he said. 

A fundraising campaign called 'Nepal Rising' run by Hiroshi Khanal, who is in Australia, has so far collected 171,957 Australian dollars. He has set a target of collecting 200,000 Australian dollars to support the families of the youth who lost their lives and were injured during the movement. Khanal has mentioned in the details of the ‘Go Fund Me’ campaign that the collected amount will be distributed transparently through representatives of the Nepali community in Australia and independent relief mechanisms in Nepal.

The United Nepalese Association has set a target of collecting 100,000 US dollars, and so far it has collected 31,028 dollars. This amount has been donated by 172 people.

The association has said that the money will be provided to the family of the deceased. The Yarsa Van Football Club in Vancouver, Canada, has set a target of raising 50,000 Canadian dollars, of which 26 people have already provided a total of 1,153 dollars. Another ‘fundraiser’, Dinesh Pant, is also trying to raise 40,000 US dollars. So far, 5,315 US dollars have been raised. Sai Avenue Limited and four others have raised 334 euros out of a target of 35,000 pounds sterling.

Khanal, Avas Bamjan and Manzil Lamichhane, who are collecting donations through ‘Go Fund Me’, say that the delay in distributing the funds is due to the fact that ‘Go Fund Me’ is yet to complete the review process. ‘The families’ concerns are legitimate, they have the right to know when and how their due amount will arrive. But we are also bound by the legal and technical process,’ they said in an email.

According to Khanal, Agent Lee of ‘Go Fund Me’s ‘Trust and Safety’ team is examining all the evidence and documents of this campaign. ‘The details of the deceased have been confirmed. The injured are being verified. All work from our side has been done transparently and according to the legal process,’ he said.

Khanal informed that they collected funds through two separate campaigns. The funds from the campaign led by him will be divided among the families of the deceased. The funds raised from the campaign run by Bamjan will be used for both the families of the deceased and the injured. ‘We are providing the details requested by Go Fund Me,’ Khanal said, ‘but the final decision will be in the hands of their review team. We want this process to be completed quickly and the aid money to reach the real victims.’

Injured Abhishek Shrestha has received the money collected in his name on ‘Go Fund Me.’ ‘My relative Shyam Shrestha collected money for me on Go Fund Me,’ Abhishek said, ‘I have already received the money that has been collected.’ Out of the target of collecting 6,500 Australian dollars in Abhishek’s name, 789 Australian dollars have been collected so far. 

1,217 US dollars have been collected so far in the name of Dipendra Basnet, an injured member of the Gen-G movement. Ganesh Adhikari has started collecting donations for Basnet. ‘I did not know that it was called Go Fund Me, but Ganesh Adhikari’s brother has sent 160,000 rupees,’ said Basnet’s wife Sangita Khadka. Funds are also being collected in the names of deceased members of the Gen-G movement, including Binod Maharjan.

Yubaraj Upadhyay of Kailali, who was shot in the stomach and hand, informed that he has not received any money through ‘Go Fund Me’. He says that he has not received any support since he was ‘discharged’ before Dashain. ‘I have not received any support lately,’ he said. ‘Even though the hospital provides free medicine and treatment, it is becoming difficult to manage the expenses of staying in the dormitory.’ 

Yubaraj Upadhyay of Kailali

Rakesh Kumar Mahato, 27, of Sarlahi, who was shot in the back on 23 Bhadra and is undergoing treatment at the ‘Spinal Injury’ Rehabilitation Center, is also not aware of any money received through ‘Go Fund Me’. His brother Rajesh, who is sitting next to him, said, ‘This is the first time I am hearing about Go Fund Me. Lately, there has been no support from anywhere.’

Another injured person, Uday Prakash Sah, 27, of Sarlahi, said that no one has come to help him. He was shot in the left leg on 23 Bhadra. ‘Once Ashika Tamang tried to help, but I didn’t accept it,’ he said, ‘other than that, no one has come to help. I am covering the expenses except for free hospital treatment and medicines myself.’ He regularly visits the trauma center for ‘follow-up’.  

Udaya Prakash Sah, 27, of Sarlahi

A group of Nepali student organizations in the US has so far raised $27,500 (79 percent) out of a target of raising $35,000. This ‘fundraiser’ has been coordinated by Rasika Chamlagain of the University of North Carolina.

Chamlagain, a Bhutanese youth of Nepali origin, told Kantipur that she is studying at the University of North Carolina and is affiliated with a student organization. She informed that 40 to 50 percent of the amount collected from the ‘fundraiser’ has been distributed in the first phase. She said that they have adopted a detailed process to make the distribution process transparent. “We are distributing support institutionally for transparency rather than giving individually,” she said.

According to Chamlagain, about $5,500 has been provided to ‘Eco Sathi Nepal’, which is cleaning and managing the Gen-G protests after the protests. “We are also talking to two other organizations,” she said. A video has been posted on their Instagram account saying that $11,500 has been given to ‘Nepal Rising-Karma Yoga Foundation’ to provide supplies for 300 families and street animals affected by the recent protests.

Abhiyan Chhetri and others from Australia had collected money on ‘Go Fund Me’ for the treatment of the injured in the Gen-G uprising. They coordinated the fundraising through a Facebook group called ‘Mim in Australia’, while Vikram Dhami took charge of distributing the money in Nepal. According to Dhami, they had set a goal of raising $70,000. Of that, $53,573 was collected. “Out of the money we collected, we had to give $1,557 to Go Fund Me,” he said. “We got $55 back. We were left with $51,860.92.” According to Dhami, out of the money collected, Rs 4,771,927, Rs 1,377,000 has been distributed to the injured. “The donor told us to give it directly to the victims,” he said. “That’s why we didn’t go to the government. We are meeting the injured ourselves and giving them money. So far, we have distributed Rs 1,377,000. We are coordinating with the Martyrs’ Struggle Committee to give the remaining amount to the families of the deceased.” According to Dhami, they have distributed Rs 100,000 each to Laxman (Dhak Bahadur) Nepali of Kaski, Liza Adhikari of Morang, Santosh Bohara of Jumla, and Prakash Bohara of Dailekh. Bhuvan Dahal, 19, of Ilam, has been given Rs 60,000. Prakash Bista of Kailali, Dhanraj Budha and Dharmendra Shahi of Kalikot, Kamal Ghimire of Kavre, Hikmat Bhandari of Doti, Ravi Bhandari of Sindhuli, Nishesh Mahara of Siraha, Paras BK of Kanchanpur and Sanjay Ghising of Makawanpur have been distributed at the rate of Rs 50,000.

Manoj Bohara of Bajhang has been provided with Rs 45,000, Geeta Shah of Saptari has been provided with Rs 40,000, Ekta Shah of Bhaktapur and Bikram Lamkaha of Palpa have been provided with Rs 35,000 each. Muktaram Darai of Chitwan, Subash Dahal of Banepa and Deepak Nepali of Ramechhap have been distributed with Rs 30,000 each. Anil Pariyar of Parbat, Krishna Thapa of Jajarkot, Dor Bahadur Budha, Sameer Acharya of Sindhupalchowk, Milan Khatri of Okhaldhunga, Naveen Tamang of Sindhuli, Bekam Deula of Lalitpur and Nischal Thapa of Kathmandu have been distributed with Rs 25,000-25,000. Sangharsh Bhusal of Baglung has been given Rs 20,000, Dhami said.

Kantipur had tried to contact Isana Maratha, Tenzing Singh Gurung, Sai Avenue Limited, Prakash Sharma Poudel, ‘United Nepalese Association’, and others who are leading the fundraising campaign after the Gen-G uprising through ‘Go Fund Me’. However, they could not be contacted. Since some posts on ‘Go Fund Me’ are ‘donation protected’ or ‘private’, it is difficult to know how much money has been collected from those campaigns.

Question on transparency 

Lack of transparency and proper regulation have sometimes led to controversy in relief collection campaigns. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, there was criticism that some people received relief materials and donations from home and abroad, while others did not receive them even once. After the chaos in relief collection and distribution, the government implemented a single-door system, which allowed funds to be collected and distributed only on the recommendation of the relevant body.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority under the Ministry of Home Affairs had made such an arrangement to ensure that relief distribution is systematic and reaches all victims. The District Disaster Management Committee has adopted a single-door system to help those affected by disasters such as floods and landslides. 

Crowdfunding platforms like ‘Go Fund Me’ have implemented policy and technological measures to keep donations safe. Identity verification of both the person raising the money or the organizer and the donor is mandatory. There is a feature called ‘Giving Guarantee’ for donors. If the donation is found to have been misused, donors can ask for their money back. This facility is applicable for 1 year from the date of donation. 

If a donor feels that the collected funds have been misused or have not reached the target group, they can report it to ‘Go Fund Me’. However, ‘Go Fund Me’ asks for various proofs before returning the funds. However, since this process is cumbersome and uncertain, experts suggest that it is better for donors to be clear about the person or organization they are going to provide funds to before giving the funds. 

Rasika Chamlagain says that after seeing the ‘fundraising’ campaign, various organizations have contacted her asking to take charge of the distribution. ‘We have received 7/8 proposals, only two of which have been approved and provided the funds,’ she said. ‘We have been maintaining transparency by posting on all our social media pages about who the money we collected was distributed to.’ 

The Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Urban Development, National Planning Commission, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, and the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers are confused about the management and monitoring of relief funds being collected abroad through digital means after the Gen-G uprising. 

Rakesh Kumar Mahato, 27, from Sarlahi

Joint Secretary and Spokesperson of the Ministry of Finance, Tanka Prasad Pandey, informed that the government has established a Physical Infrastructure Reconstruction Fund to organize the collection and distribution of relief for the families of the injured and deceased. ‘This fund has an account number of the Rastriya Banijya Bank and there is a provision for those who want to contribute to the reconstruction to contribute voluntarily,’ he said. 

Detailed details of the fund (including QR code) have been placed on the website of the Ministry of Finance. ‘The fund was established as per the decision of the Council of Ministers on 5 Asoj,’ said Spokesperson Pandey. ‘So far, Rs 62.5 million has been deposited in the fund. Even if someone has personally raised money for the treatment and relief of the injured, we request that they deposit it there.' 

The secretariat of the fund is in the Ministry of Urban Development. There is a 'Reconstruction Committee' under the coordination of the Finance Minister, and the committee was formed under the 'Reconstruction Fund Formation Order 2082', Pandey informed.

According to Shanti Mahat, spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the single-door system was implemented after the target groups were further affected by the collection and distribution of relief in their own ways during emergencies. Arrangements for relief distribution were made through the District Disaster Management Committee during floods, landslides, earthquakes or the Covid pandemic. 'According to the relief distribution criteria, whoever raises relief cannot distribute it himself,' Mahat said. 'Under the single-door system, even the central or provincial government cannot distribute relief. The responsibility for distribution has been given to the local level.' 

The authority has not looked into the relief or donations collected through platforms like social media or ‘Go Fund Me’ in the context of the Gen-G uprising. Government agencies are not clear whether it is possible to monitor and distribute relief collected through online ‘crowd funding’ through a single-door system. There are calls for increased policy and practical clarity to ensure the proper use of the funds collected in this way.