As international spotlights turn away from the victims of the earthquake that devastated Nepal last April 25th, a team of volunteers from Egypt, Canada and Belgium have joined forces to coordinate the Kick Start Kathmandu Initiative to help bring Kathmandu's slums back on their feet.

The campaign is not only raising funds online, but also through a series of workshops in each country, giving participants a chance to exchange a dose of wellness for humanitarian aid to Nepal. How will they help? “Our focus will be split in half. Urban, and rural,” says Hannah Thomas, one of the campaign members.

“We will help restore working people in the slums during the monsoon season to be able to generate their own incomes by giving them the resources and tools they need. We will also be traveling to the remote Gorkha region, which was the epicentre, in order to restore a number of villages back to working order for the farming seasons to come,” she says in the crowdfunding campaign, which aims to raise $5,000 to invest in local resources in building up livelihoods for the victims.

In Egypt, the team is organising two events, centered on dance and Yoga. The first one, to be held on June 5th, is a Bollywood dance workshop led by Mariam Khan. An instructor trained in Bollywood dance and Bharatnatyam, Khan is a promising dancer who grew up in Pune, India, with a particular interest in storytelling for Bollywood. She is also a henna artist, known in India as Mehendi.

Their second event will especially cater to those looking for peace and relaxation, in a Yoga Workshop held on June 6th by Ohoud Saad. Saad, a passionate instructor who was mentored by Yara Rafat, went off to Rishikesh, India on the journey of a lifetime to learn more about herself and about yoga. From Kamal Singh and Sunil Sharma, she learned all about Ashtanga Vinyasa, Pranayama, Meditation, Yoga Nidra, Yoga Philosophy and got certified as a teacher in the unique practice of Ashtanga Yoga.