Taj Rabosky started GB Friends of Nepal after his many wellness trips to the country where he made strong connections.
Following the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, Mr Rabosky had been living in Golden Bay and started sending funds to a friend he had met in the village of Kavre.
This sparked something of a vision for Mr Rabosky, to help more of a vulnerable community overseas.
"I realised if I could get him more funds or more money, then there was more potential to help people quickly," he said.
This led him to connect with many others who had spent time in Nepal and wanted to give back during a time of hardship.
The charity was then set up and the group began hosting fundraising events and spreading the word through regular newsletters.
"Six or eight months after the earthquakes, all the children in the village had nowhere to go to school," Mr Rabosky said.
"All the government schools were closed."
The charity worked with community leaders in the village to help set up a learning academy which included building a simple two-room structure in the village.
Although it is not technically a school as they were not able to teach the Nepalese curriculum, the charity assisted locals in offering young people aged 4 to 18 different classes, especially in English.
The charity has continued since then in raising awareness and gathering support for the cause.
Even after moving to Wānaka in 2020, Mr Rabosky continued with his work, finding more people in the Upper Clutha region who cared about assisting the Nepalese community.
"I kind of didn’t think that the charity would still be going 10 years later, but it’s been quite successful," he said.
"... there’s lots of people in Wānaka who have spent time in Nepal as mountaineers, as guides ... and there’s also a lot of support for community projects."
To celebrate 10 years, the charity is hosting a movie night fundraiser on August 28 from 7pm at the Wānaka community hub.
— Allied Media
