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You’ve probably seen the headlines about the flash floods that hit Nepal after a Himalayan glacier gave way on August 26, sending water and debris through the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river basins. The damage from this is huge—the flood swept away villages, roads, bridges, and hydropower plants across Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading districts of Nepal.
At the time of writing, the death toll has climbed past 1,300, and thousands are still unaccounted for. Among the companies and people stepping in to help at this time are some of the biggest names in tech.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang personally donated $10 million to Nepal’s Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund. It is reportedly the largest single contribution the fund has received from an individual or company.
Apple is also contributing to the response. CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the company would donate to relief and rebuilding efforts, although he did not disclose the amount or name the organizations that would receive the money. Cook made the announcement just days before stepping down as CEO and handing the role to John Ternus on September 1.
SecurityPal AI, a Bay Area startup led by Nepal-born founder Pukar Hamal, matched donations dollar-for-dollar up to $20,000, with everything going straight to the Nepali government. Joining the effort, blockchain technology company Ripple pledged $300,000, split between World Central Kitchen and Mercy Corps for food, water, and sanitation work on the ground.
Meanwhile, blockchain platform Solana took a more unusual approach. Instead of just writing a check, the network auctioned off nine zones of its own logo on X, letting bidders slap their branding on Solana’s profile picture and pinned post for a week. The 24-hour auction pulled in nearly $167,000 in USDC, with crypto platform Rollbit alone dropping $50,000 for the most visible spot. All of it routes through a US nonprofit called Engage Nepal before landing with the government’s relief fund.
If you want to send something yourself, Nepal’s Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund accepts donations from around the world. Card payments are available, while larger contributions can also be sent through SWIFT transfers.
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