Tower and Town, June 2015 (view the full edition)The Nepal EarthquakeWe have been receiving much news from different organisations in Nepal since the earthquake on 25 th April which has devastated large areas of central Nepal. The epicentre was the District of Gorkha, north west of Kathmandu, reaching up to the Chinese border. It has affected hundreds of small villages in the middle hills where landslides covered whole villages and houses collapsed like packs of cards. As I write the death toll is over 7,500 and it is estimated 2.8 million have lost their homes. The situation in the Kathmandu valley was patchy, again many buildings collapsed or have become unsafe; some world heritage sites have been devastated; hospitals have been overwhelmed coping with injuries sustained in Kathmandu and further afield. The Nepalese government is bureaucratic and inefficient; a constitution has still not been agreed since the Maoists introduced a republic over 6 years ago. We hear stories of aid lorries being organised by private individuals being confiscated by the police and consignments being held up at the airport for lack of paperwork but some smaller charities on the ground are getting aid through and doing great work. The Nepalis themselves are community minded and resourceful but they need help. They have suffered unimaginable losses. The monsoon is approaching. Once immediate effects of the earthquake have been dealt with using funding from agencies like the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), the infrastructure will need to be dealt with. Barney, Nick Maurice and I worked for the Britain Nepal Medical Trust (BNMT) in East Nepal nearly 40 years ago. It is now staffed entirely by Nepalese workers and has extended its work to cover 47 of about 72 Districts. They are in a good position to reach out to affected communities. Doug Scott’s charity Community Action Nepal (CAN) also works in mountain areas badly affected by the earthquake. If you are contemplating donating I suggest you look at the websites of the above. We have subscribed to these three.
Rachel Rosedale |