Report on
the Relief Assistance for the People affected by Nepal Earthquake, 2015
Sharad Kumar Sharma[1]
Background
Asia Association of Education and Exchange (hereafter
AAEE) has been conducting its activities in Nepal extensively for the last
8 years in
Nepal. The aim of AAEE is to promote interlinkages between students of Asia . In keeping with this primal aim, it has been
conducting various activities between Japanese students and other students of
other parts of Asia . Nepal , from the
very inception of the organization, has been one of the regions for the
cultural exchange between students.
On 25th April, 2015, several area ofNepal ,
including the capital Kathmandu , was hit by a
severe Earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale. Till date, over 8,500
people have died as a result of the quake.[2]
Kathmandu valley, has undergone major damages
to its cultural heritages in the UNESCO world heritage sites such as the Kathmandu Durbar Square ,
Patan Durbar Square ,
Bhaktapur Durbar Square ,
Boudhanath Stupa. A major landmark of Nepalese culture – the 9 storied Dharara collapsed killing more than 300
people in a single site.
Thousands more have been left homeless and stranded. Many schools – especially in village areas – have been destroyed or have been severely damaged, with no condition to hold further classes. Even the schools which are in good condition have been shut down due to governmental decree and are scheduled to pen in late May/early June.
On 25th April, 2015, several area of
Thousands more have been left homeless and stranded. Many schools – especially in village areas – have been destroyed or have been severely damaged, with no condition to hold further classes. Even the schools which are in good condition have been shut down due to governmental decree and are scheduled to pen in late May/early June.
The Team
Following the Earthquake, the author collaborated with
his private contacts to begin relief works. Due to formalized reporting
mechanism and bookkeeping they were not able to collaborate with most
organizations. The team primarily consisted of personal contacts. Due to
availability and reduced cost needs – the team decided to conduct medical camps
around Kathmandu city. After conducting
preliminary scouting, the team started the camps as soon as three days after
the earthquake. The team consists generally of :
a)
Certified Doctors (usually two or more)
b)
Nurses (four to five)
c)
Pharmacist
d)
Volunteers (usually five or higher)
e)
Driver and Assistant
Except the driver and his
assistant, all other team members work voluntarily. A minimal amount of the
donations received is utilized in a single meal which the team eats during the
day.
AAEE Special Project Team |
The team was buying medical supplies on their own and also being donated by private individuals from
After conducting camps for over a week, AAEE President
Mr. Akinori Seki and his team were able to promise monetary relief to Nepal . After
conducting various charity programs in May 5th, the President sent
JPY 50,000 (roughly around NRs 40,000) to the author.
This significant amount of donation was utilized in buying of tarps, medicines and travel cost for such relief activity. The team was able to provide medical help in Nigalpani in Dhading district. This district is one of the most severely hit region of the Earthquake. Total 30 tarps were bought and 5 of the tarps were sent to be distributed to Okharpawa VDC of Nuwakot, another severely affected region of the Earthquake. Each tarp costs NRs. 800 and were bought from Biratnagar inSouthern Nepal – as they
were unavailable in Earthquake hit regions. Each tarp can provide shelter for 4
individuals.
Besides this, medicines bought were used in Dhading VDC – and was used in Lakure Bhanjyang VDC, Lalitpur and Sipadol VDC, Bhaktapur.
Glimpses and Description of Medical Camps
This significant amount of donation was utilized in buying of tarps, medicines and travel cost for such relief activity. The team was able to provide medical help in Nigalpani in Dhading district. This district is one of the most severely hit region of the Earthquake. Total 30 tarps were bought and 5 of the tarps were sent to be distributed to Okharpawa VDC of Nuwakot, another severely affected region of the Earthquake. Each tarp costs NRs. 800 and were bought from Biratnagar in
Besides this, medicines bought were used in Dhading VDC – and was used in Lakure Bhanjyang VDC, Lalitpur and Sipadol VDC, Bhaktapur.
Glimpses and Description of Medical Camps
1)
Nigalpani, Dhading
It takes nearly 5 and a half hours to
reach the destination from Kathmandu . The team
was able to distribute tarps, and provide medical care. Over 300 people were directly benefited with the
assistance of locals to identify target groups.
2)
Lakure Bhanjyang, Lalitpur
Almost every house we
saw; and some of my friends and I went further along for an hour by foot to
inform more people, was badly damaged. Several cut wounds and injuries were still prevalent, which
surprised the team, for the village's proximity from Lalitpur and the time
since the quake. The team also handed out water purification tablets with
specific and strict guidelines of proper use.
3)
Sipadole, Bhaktapur
This was the day after
the 7.3 earthquake in the valley. There were over 70 patients in the camp.
Sipadole is quite near to the valley, but the houses are quite damaged. The
locals actively assisted the team.
Conclusion
and Acknowledgements
The camps in the 3 locations benefited over 300 people
affected by the Earthquake. The tarps bought off the generous donations raised
off the charity program provided shelter to over 100 people. These people would
be the highly vulnerable groups who have lost their permanent shelters due to
the earthquake. They will be using those tarps till any alternate housing
facilities are not found – either self built or built by external assistance
(government or donor agencies).
The author sincerely would like to thank all members of AAEE and the generous support of students ofJapan
for assisting in this endeavor. The author would like to acknowledge the
assistance and calm guidance of President of AAEE, Prof. Akinori Seki. We
create our world – a message from the Himalayas.
The author sincerely would like to thank all members of AAEE and the generous support of students of
[1] The Author is the Country Coordinator of Asia Association of
Education and Exchange (AAEE) for Nepal . He has been carrying out the
on field relief works for the AAEE in Nepal .
[2] http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/17/us-quake-nepal-idUSKBN0O20LL20150517,
Reuters Article on Nepal Earthquake, dated 17th May