Help Rebuild Nepal: A Lovely Country in Ruins

Photos taken at the same place, before and after the deadly earthquake struck.
Photo on the right courtesy of Krishna Sadan Awal

Hearing news about the deadly earthquake which recently hit Nepal broke my heart.  I couldn't believe it at first.  I was in that beautiful country two weeks before the catastrophe happened.    

Pictures and memories of all the amazing places I've seen, the lovely people I've met, and friends that I made flooded my mind.  I was worried about my friends. I hoped and prayed that they were not placed in harm's way. 

I scoured the internet for news about the disaster. I was hungry for information, hoping against hope that the destruction was not massive.  Unfortunately, as I scrolled photos posted on twitter and other social media and news organization sites, it dawned on me that the beautiful country that now occupies a special place in my heart is now lying in ruins and rubble. On the day the earthquake happened, death toll easily reached the three thousand mark, many more were injured.  Many people have gone missing.  My heart wept and bled.  

I started hearing from my friends a few days after the earthquake. I would breathe a sigh of relief and gratitude whenever a friend would mark him/herself safe in the earthquake safety check app.  I was so glad to get messages or calls from my Nepalese friends.  As they gave assurances of their safety and expressed their gratitude that nobody in their immediate family died, they also shared heartbreaking scenes of the tragedy that befell their home country.  I felt the somberness that enveloped them.  I also sensed despair.  

It certainly would take quiet a while before the lives of the Nepalese even have a semblance of normalcy.   They would need our help to rebuild their country and restart their lives.  Let's help them recover.  

There are many ways to help.  You may support and send donations to established international aid, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief organizations which are directly helping Nepal, like UNICEF, Save the Children,  The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Catholic Relief Services, etc.  You may also help efforts initiated by Nepalese who have organized their own fund-raising campaigns and rebuilding projects, such as Help Rebuild Homes in Bhaktapur.  Crowdfunding campaigns, such as the one for the residents of Kaminani, Tekhacho Tole, Ward 16, Bhaktapur, Nepal have also been set up at Indiegogo.com. 


Sending you happy thoughts...