The May 12th news of a deadly earthquake in Nepal comes on the heels of the tragic events of April 24th, when a 7.9-magnitude earthquake struck the country causing widespread devastation, including in Bandipur which is the home village of VSE faculty member Ratna Shrestha.
Since the first quake, Ratna has been tirelessly campaigning for support for relief efforts. To that end he has issued a personal appeal to the VSE community and beyond to support the rescue and relief efforts for the victims of the disasters:
“Nepal is in ruins with over 7,800 confirmed dead, over 16,000 injured, and more than 200,000 homes completely/partly destroyed. Many more are still unaccounted for. The April 24th earthquake was one of the worst to strike Nepal in the past eighty years. Many international aid organizations, including Red Cross, Oxfam and Unicef are now actively engaged in providing relief to the victims. If you have already donated through these charities, THANK YOU. If not, I am writing to let you know an alternative way to donate.
“There are two Vancouver-based Nepali ladies who are really motivated to travel to Kathmandu and volunteer in relief efforts. They are travelling on their own and are also using their own savings for the purpose. But they need some extra financial support to make their mission more worthwhile. They have all the logistics support and volunteers ready in Kathmandu to act in short notice. I personally know these two ladies and am confident that they will use every dime of your donation directly in the relief effort. If you would like to donate, please go to: www.gofundme.com/u34tn4. Thank you for your support.”
