Magdalena Bokowa and Chadd Tullis, of Bend, were honeymooning in Nepal when the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck, killing more than 9,000 people.Submitted photo

A Bend couple who were honeymooning in Nepal when a devastating earthquake struck the region in April is returning next month to help rebuild a school in the remote village of Pokhari.

Magdalena Bokowa and Chadd Tullis were trekking through the Annapurna Conservation Area in the northern mountain range when the 7.8-magnitude earthquake left many villages in ruins and killed more than 9,000 people.

“After we reached a safer region, we had the option of being evacuated,” Bokowa said Thursday. “Once we saw other people in the same boat, we decided to stay back and crowdfunded online with others to buy and deliver needed goods.”

Bokowa estimates the couple raised $11,000 in the days following the earthquake. They stayed in the region for more than a month, bringing tarps and medical supplies to remote areas.

The couple returned to Bend once the monsoon season began in June. They soon founded a nonprofit called People Helping People International with the goal of providing resources to rural communities.

“We want to focus on the in-between areas that slip through the cracks,” Bokowa said.

Pokhari is 107 miles northwest of Kathmandu and off the path worn by tourists and Nepalese transportation routes. Reaching the community requires a six-hour bus ride out of Kathmandu followed by a hike of at least four hours, according to the People Helping People website.

The village was one of the places where Bokowa and Tullis found refuge after the earthquake. The two were the first outsiders to reach Pokhari after the initial seismic event.

“The locals were so excited to see us,” Bokowa said. “We formed a tight bond with them just because they aren’t used to seeing foreigners up there, regardless of the situation.”

Because of the area’s remoteness, the nonprofit plans to use a method called Earth-bagging to rebuild the village schoolhouse. The process involves packing rice or feed bags with soil that are then stacked flat, with barbed wire reinforcing the structure.

Sustainable architect Kenny Quinn agreed to work with People Helping People after being introduced to the cause by a couple in Prineville he visits each year.

Quinn is based out of Taos, New Mexico, and has years of experience using the Earth-bagging process. The project in Nepal will be the first he’s attempted in such a remote area; his only other international build was in Mexico.

“The thing that is unknown for me is what kind of soil they have and how difficult it will be to acquire,” Quinn said. “Typically I dig into the site and use that soil to build the walls. If we can’t, it’s going to put a tremendous amount of physical work bringing soil in on top of an already laborious process.”

All of the work being done by Quinn and People Helping People is on a volunteer basis. The group will meet up with Nepalese contacts they’ve made with the hopes that they and the villagers will learn and be able to teach the Earth-bag method to neighboring communities.

Fundraising for travel and supplies is an ongoing process for all involved. Bokowa and Tullis are hosting a benefit featuring live music and local spirits this Saturday at Armature next to Sparrow Bakery in Bend. There will also be information available for those interested in volunteering themselves.

“We can’t realistically go and rebuild everyone’s houses,” Bokowa said. “Everyone involved in this project wants to help these communities who don’t have anyone to turn to. We can build them a community structure, hopefully one they can see as an example and replicate.”

— Reporter: 541-382-1811,

wrubin@bendbulletin.com