Alexander Moghadam, Monaco’s 90-year-old Honorary Consul for Nepal and a well-known local business owner, has started an urgent online fundraiser to help victims of a massive flood that hit northern Nepal on 26th August.
For more than half a century, Alexander Moghadam has been a familiar figure in the Principality. Over 50 years ago, he opened his Persian carpet gallery on the Boulevard des Moulins – it was inaugurated by Princess Grace. While building the business, he quietly established a reputation for local philanthropy through charity auctions backed by his own collection.
Those commercial ties to Nepalese carpet makers eventually led to his appointment as Monaco’s Honorary Consul to Nepal more than 15 years ago. Over the years, he has combined frequent diplomatic visits with active fundraising. Following the devastating earthquake of 2015, his efforts helped finance essential community facilities. As he once recalled in his office, pointing to a modest rug bought cheaply in an Eastern market: “It was sold and resold at auction multiple times, with the proceeds multiplying each time. Thanks to that, we were able to build facilities for the Nepalese people after the 2015 earthquake – all from a tiny rug.”
Through a combination of public donations and personal contributions, his efforts over the last 15 years have funded the construction of a school and housing for more than 600 people.
Responding to a fresh catastrophe
Now, Moghadam is moving to support the region after the 26th August disaster, during which a severe flash flood and debris flow tore through northern Nepal. Originating from the Bhote Koshi river network roughly 80 kilometres from Kathmandu, the flood devastated districts including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, and Gorkha. The sheer force and speed of the water swept away homes, bridges, roads, and vital hydroelectric installations in the narrow mountain valleys, leaving families virtually no time to evacuate.
According to the Nepalese government, international sources, and Reuters reports, the humanitarian toll is immense. More than 1,400 bodies have been recovered, over 6,000 people remain missing, and more than 13,000 have been rescued, while thousands of others are displaced without homes or livelihoods. Preliminary assessments by the Nepalese government place direct physical damage at roughly $1.8 billion US dollars, with total recovery needs projected at $4.78 billion US dollars.
How to support the campaign
Alexander Moghadam has now launched a digital solidarity network to channel immediate help to those on the ground.
He is urging residents and businesses in Monaco to contribute to a dedicated fundraising page titled ‘We Stand With Nepal’, hosted on Leetchi. All money raised goes directly to the Nepal Red Cross to supply emergency food, clean water, shelter, and medical support to families affected by the disaster.
Contributions of any size can be made online via the Leetchi Campaign Link, and organisers are encouraging supporters to share the link and QR code across personal and professional networks to amplify the relief effort.
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Alexander Moghadam visiting Nepal. Photo Credit: Le Boudoir D’Highlights
