Caring Causes: Tim I Gurung and ISSLCARE

Tim I. Gurung has six published books to date, two currently in the editing phase, and working on the ninth. His stories are written to be thought-provoking, knowledgeable, exciting and persuasive, and draw much-needed attention to important global social issues. While vastly different, they share a common goal: To make a positive impact on people. 

I recently got a review copy of A Nation for Refugees. In this book, a young man joins an internationally-known company after college where he works for several years, but when problems surface in the hierarchy he is forced to give up the job he loves. To make ends meet he opens a makeshift café in a tent outside his home, and barely ekes out a living. All that changes when Sarah, his first real love, reenters his life. As the café becomes popular, their newfound wealth allows them to contribute vast amounts toward helping refugees. 

The book was inspiring in that it shows an example of someone who has a pretty mundane existence - something similar to or at least relatable for a lot of readers - is able to help others, and improve themselves along the way.

The other books (which can be found here) have similarly inspiring themes. Five Steps is about a man who loses his family in a freak accident, then is changed in positive ways as he learns to see life from different viewpoints while searching for clues to what happened.  

Missionary or Mercenary is the story of a middle-aged man returning home after years abroad helping his countrymen in need, then uses profits from his business to build a children's home, but draws unwanted attention from a political party trying to align itself with his work.

A Tree Called Tenalpa, is a story of migration and discrimination, told in the context of six different-colored birds who live together in a single tree, which is forever changed by a storm.

Afterlife is Gurung's take on the possibilities that exist after death, looking at strange and mysterious, yet beautiful places that just might be real.

The Cursed Nation is an inspiring story about a young man overcoming obstacles on the path to a better life, from a fast-paced city with powerful and influential people, to the less corrupt yet poor and struggling suburb. 

Born and raised in Nepal, at age 17 Tim Gurung became a Gurkha soldier with the British Army, stationed in Hong Kong. After retiring from the army, he remained in Hong Kong to work and raise a family.  While he enjoyed his job he wanted his life to mean more than just an income, so Tim made a promise to himself that for the second half of his life he would follow his heart. True to his word, Tim's passion for writing has resulted in several highly successful books, and today he is able to donate the proceeds from these books to his family's non-profit foundation, ISSLCARE, that makes it possible for needy families in Nepal to send their children to school.