Earthquakes - Nepal
the adventures
"No massive earthquake has struck Nepal since 1934!"
A series of destructive earthquakes rocked Nepal in 2015. The first major one occurred at noon on 25 April, followed by a second one on 12 May. While these two major quakes of more than 7 Magnitude caused significant loss of life and massive destruction to homes and property, it was the persistent and powerful aftershocks accompanying each major quake that continued to grip the populace with fear, helplessness and distress for many months.
On 27 April, less than two days after the first quake, I joined a Rapid Assessment Team (RAT) from Rescue and Relief International (RRI) and made our initial deployment into Nepal. In the months that followed, we mounted a series of RRI disaster relief missions, bringing medical, food and shelter assistance to the 30 or so villages in the municipaity of Melamchi, in the Sindhupalchowk District.
Throughout, we focused on reaching and serving low-caste and remote communities, as these were often forgotten by relief agencies eager to "do good quickly and visibly". In all of these missions, we partnered closely with local Nepalese NGOs, mobilised the local villagers to self help, and co-operated with the local government and military agencies when necessary. We faced several instances of personal dangers and difficulties, but also experienced unexpected kindness and joy of service.
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As our relief missions concluded in Melamchi in November 2015, a second ambitious but very challenging door started opening up.
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Project Taja Asa (or Fresh Hope in English), a rebuilding and capacity-building endeavour, would stretch from the remote mountain villages in Northern Dhading to the scattered villages across Gorkha, Nuwakot, Bhaktapur, Sindhupalchowk, Ramechhap and even the notoriously spartan Far West! Project Taja Asa, or Fresh Hope, promised to be our greatest and most challenging series of humanitarian adventures in Nepal yet!
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As Project Taja Asa kicked into full gear from early 2016, we found ourselves engaging in multiple rebuilding projects as well as community leadership training missions in different regions. Every local project and regional mission often became an amazing adventure in itself. But, what we didn't quite realise was that Project Taja Asa would experience a strategic inflection point in mid-2017: a gateway into the impoverished Far West region!
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Since then, my experiences and engagements with Nepalese communities have only become more varied. Here are some stories of heart, help and hope, as they continue to unfold....
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