Features
Nepal earthquake: How Hamilton can help
By Ujjwal Pradhan ’15
May 1, 2015
“A generous heart, kind speech, and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”
Buddha
Nepal, a small Himalayan country between India and China, suffered a devastating earthquake on the morning of April 25. The disaster left over 5,000 people dead and thousands injured and displaced. Several aftershocks that followed the first tremor have rocked the capital and levelled entire villages close to the epicenter. The earthquake also claimed the lives of several foreign nationals, including four Americans. Hundreds more are still missing. Survivors are in dire need of medical attention, food, water and other basic supplies. A turbulent political past and a poor economy have left Nepal unprepared to recover from a disaster of this scale on its own.
Nepali students on campus, Priti Kharel’18, Sharif Shrestha’17, Tshering Sherpa’16 and I, have had sleepless nights since the earthquake as our families and countrymen come to terms with the devastation. Priti’s family’s apartment shook violently, leaving wide open cracks in the walls, while a relative breathed his last breath buried in the ruins of a local restaurant. Similarly, the courtyard of Patan Durbar Square, where Sharif spent his childhood, lies in rubble. His family is currently living in cars, and their lives will certainly not return to normal any time soon. Tshering Sherpa’s aunt, who was visiting her family in Lukla, an isolated community near Mt. Everest, was missing for 48 hours. Luckily, through Facebook, she was found disoriented and alone on a village street.
My family is currently camped in a makeshift tent in our backyard. My brother, Umesh, said, “The initial trembling lasted for almost a minute. The house then began swinging like a pendulum. I could not balance myself as I tried to get outdoors. Even after three days, the neighbors are still terrified to return to their homes in fear of the aftershocks.” Fortunately, our immediate families have escaped the disaster in relatively good shape: they are alive.
As an international community, Hamilton College stands with the Nepali people in this disaster. In fact, Hamilton is already a growing part of the locally-led relief efforts. Under the leadership of the Nepali students currently on campus our campaigns are targeting different areas of the crisis. Sharif is working with several Nepali students studying at American universities such as Stanford, Oklahoma and others, in raising funds that will enable a local NGO, Women’s Entrepreneur Association of Nepal, to enter rural communities that have been inaccessible to larger INGOs so far.
I have been working with local doctors, including my brother, a friend and the staff at a local school, and together we have made it possible for donors to directly support a local relief effort to provide medical care, food, water and sanitary supplies. We are also reporting back regularly on our progress so donors can see the positive contriputions their donations have made directly.
Several student organizations at Hamilton are actively contributing to these fundraising efforts. On Wednesday, April 28, the ISA, with Jeff McArn, organized “Vigil for Nepal” to mourn and honor the lives of all those who are suffering in Nepal. Also, all proceeds from Philanthropy Committee’s Silent Auction on Saturday, May 2 are going to the relief funds. Besides auctioning off Senior Week tickets and Opus gift cards, this year’s listings will also feature Nepali souvenirs, cultural objects and posters.
We encourage students to visit the informational tables at Beinecke Thursday and Friday and the Bake Sale by Pre-Health Club on Friday. Victoria Lin ’15 is also helping the efforts by donating proceeds from selling her photography prints.
Hamilton has been a second home to Nepali students for decades. The support from the Hamilton community has been very warm and strong. As Nepal tries to pick itself up from this disaster, we appeal to the community to contribute to our relief efforts back home. A small donation can go a long way in saving lives.