Richard Mayne, a British college student, died in the Malaysia Airlines MH17 crash six days ago, but his positive influence on the world will live on indefinitely.
Six months ago, the 20-year-old set up a JustGiving page to benefit Kidasha, a nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of underserved children in Nepal, before heading to the country as a volunteer for a local school.
According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the poverty rate in Nepal's western regions exceeds 45 percent, making it one of the poorest and least developed areas in the world. In the impoverished communities in which Kidasha works, 90 out of every 100 children are born without any medical assistance, a similar number lacks access to safe drinking water and about 38 percent won't complete primary schooling.
As of Wednesday evening, Mayne's fundraising page had garnered more than 12,500 British pounds, (about $21,000) in donations -- exceeding his modest goal by more than 11,000 pounds (about $18,700). In a statement released Tuesday, Kidasha noted that the new proceeds from Mayne's fundraiser will help repair a Nepalese shelter at which the college student spent time, the Yorkshire Evening Post reported.
Many of the recent messages left by donors expressed condolences for the loss and admiration for his charitable heart.
"You clearly made a difference during your life, rest in peace," one such message read.
Mayne wasn't the only selfless spirit the world lost last week. Roughly 100 AIDS activists traveling to the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne (via a connecting flight) also died in the crash -- an enormous loss to the community fighting the virus.
"What if the cure for AIDS was on that plane?" Trevor Stratton, an HIV researcher, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "We don't know."
To donate to Mayne's Kidasha fundraiser, visit his Just Giving page.
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