It gives me a great pleasure to welcome all of you this evening to honor our generous supporters from 1991 to present, which is almost twenty years. During this time frame Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT) has been involved in 55 heritage restoration projects.

Kathmandu valley’s ancient and remarkable heritage sites were devastated by the April/May earthquakes that shook everybody to the core. I am happy and proud to say that only two sites restored by KVPT were damaged during the earthquake. Over the years, the KVPT has earned a good name for its quality work and excellent execution in heritage conservation and restoration, involving and restoration, involving our very own Nepalese craftsman. The meticulous supervision of Dr. Rohit Ranjitkar, the executive director of KVPT and his team is deeply appreciated. Quality work speaks for itself.

The April 2015 earthquake took the lives of nearly 10,000 people and destroyed the homes heritage sites of the Nepali people. It was the most traumatic and sad time for all of us with over 400 which are still going on and has kept us in edge. Yesterday, I took two English friends to the Kathmandu Durbar Square, they were visible shocked and saddened by the extent of devastation caused to these wonderful monuments.

I could see tears in their eyes. It’s going to take a lot of time and great effort to bring our damaged heritage sites back to their original form. Now, I would like to request Erich Theophile who has come all the way from USA to give a brief presentation of KVPT’s 2015 Earthquake Response. We thank him for taking times out from his busy work schedule in New York. All of us are aware of Eric’s love for Nepal; he lived fifteen years in this country. We sincerely recognize and deeply appreciate his commendable contribution to the cause of heritage restoration.

We also want to thank each one of you for being here today in support of  KVPT’s Heritage and Conservation  restoration works and agenda. Without your generous support this conservation work would not have happened.

Pande is a director of KVPT. Excerpts of Pande’s statement delivered at a reception organized to honor supporters of KVPT since 1991 and KVPT’s  2015 Earthquake Response.