After reaching out to our numerous partners in Nepal, we now have a more clear picture of the mass devastation, extreme destruction, and the long road to recovery that lies ahead. Today we would like to share the experiences of our partners, in order to help express the true need in Nepal, as well as illustrate why we are dedicated to supporting relief and recovery.
Innovative Volunteer
Innovative Volunteer has initiated a campaign to rebuild their orphanage facility, which was badly damaged during the earthquakes, not to mention the lasting emotional impacts the event has had on the children. One of the volunteers at the orphanage shared her experiences on their website, here is an excerpt from her story:
I was there during the first 7.8 earthquake. I walked through Kathmandu city and saw dead people, hurt people, and houses in ruins. I experienced thousands of aftershocks, many almost as strong as the first earthquake. I’ve seen whole Kathmandu forced staying outside in terrible conditions. I spent 5 days after the 7.8 earthquake with brave local people, handling their situation in a truly admirable way. And I promise you, the earthquakes in Nepal is very much real, the crisis situation is going on right now and it will take long time until the country recovers. The amazing people of Nepal needs your help.
Nepali Host Family
Usually placing volunteers with local families to help them learn about the Nepali way of life, the Nepali Host Family team is now faced with ongoing issues and the question of when the nation will recover. On their website, one of their team members shared her story to help raise awareness and funds for them to recover and rebuild.
I felt a very strong tremor. Everything in the room was shaking and falling down that I couldn’t even get out of the room for few seconds. Suddenly I heard people screaming from outside. I looked from the window and saw most of the people from the neighborhood had come out of their houses and were on the street. I had felt earthquakes before but this one was most scary because there were many after shocks occurring every now and then. I saw women and children crying and people were very scared and looking for safer place. For some time, I stayed among the neighbors in one of the open fields nearby. At the field itself there must be more than five hundred people.
HORAC
The children housed at the HORAC center have had their lives literally flipped upside down, which is unfortunately not the first time the children have had to deal with grief and challenges. One of the HORAC team member shared their experience of the second earthquake that hit Nepal in early May:
Our house is damaged and it is dangerous to use. We were using this house after the first earthquake but the second earthquake damaged our house totally. Therefore we are living in a ground and sleeping there. We don’t know how long this will go on and when will it end. Everyone is leaving Kathmandu, but we can’t leave Kathmandu. We are too large in number.
To learn more about the needs of our partners, check out our Director’s recent article on GoAbroad.com: Supporting Relief & Recovery Through Local Organizations in Nepal