Nepal has struggled with a poverty rate of 25 percent even before the earthquakes and the rate jumps to 50 percent for those living in the mid-western and far western parts of the country due to rough terrain that makes farming almost impossible. Close to 80 percent of the country’s population live in rural areas and rely on farming to make a living and these rural residents, many affected by the earthquake, face the worst poverty. Most of these households have little to no access to health care, education, safe drinking water, sanitation or other basic services. In addition, nearly half of all children under the age of five in the country are malnourished.

The earthquakes exacerbated already challenging conditions especially for residents of remote villages and those living in poverty. More than 8,000 people died and close to 20,000 were injured as a result of the earthquakes and their aftermath. Forty of Nepal’s 75 districts were affected, 16 of them severely, with homes, schools, buildings, cattle, fields ready for harvest and other property destroyed. More than 500,000 people were displaced and remain in need of shelter and other assistance.

Salesian missionaries have been living and working within Nepal’s communities for many years and were among the first to respond with emergency relief after the earthquakes, providing food and water to those who had lost everything. Less than two weeks after the earthquakes, Nepal Don Bosco Society, a Salesian non-governmental organization, distributed more than 100 tons of relief materials including sixty tons of food and tarpaulins for temporary shelter to more than 30,000 people in 19 villages spanning six districts.

“Salesian missionaries have been able to reach out to many places, many villages, including those areas that government officials were not able,” says Bishop Paul Simick, Vicar Apostolic of Nepal. “There are other places that are very difficult to reach and we have heard that people are still waiting for the first relief to reach them.”

Today, months after the earthquake, Salesian missionaries are building temporary schools and addressing long-term training needs as part of their reconstruction and relief efforts, especially in the Kathmandu Valley where Salesian missionaries operate two programs. Don Bosco Thecho is a technical school located in the Kathmandu suburb of Lubhu and Don Bosco Siddhipur, located in the Lalitpur district, offers both a primary and secondary school.

The United Nations has noted that more than 32,000 classrooms and 1,383 schools were destroyed during the earthquakes. Salesian missionaries will utilize the skills of the newly trained students from Don Bosco Thecho to assist in the rebuilding of schools with a goal of reconstructing at least 40 schools. Each village in the area will be asked to form a school-reconstruction committee that will mobilize the villagers to contribute as much as possible in cash, labor and locally available materials. To date, more than 21 temporary learning centers have been completed. In a recent evaluation meeting with Nepalese government officers and other non-government organizations, it was acknowledged that the temporary learning centers built by the Salesian missionaries and students were of such high quality they could possibly serve as permanent school buildings.

Children of Nepal have been most affected by the earthquakes and getting them back to school has remained a priority for Salesian missionaries. Schools provide a sense of normalcy for children who have faced devastation and destruction. Along with normal classroom instruction, schools also provide psychosocial programs to help children process their fears and concerns as well as the changes they are experiencing as a result of the earthquakes and displacement. They also provide a safe haven from the human trafficking that has surfaced in the country in the wake of the earthquakes.

“As with any natural disaster, the children are the worst affected,” says Father Tony Valiaparackattu, a Salesian missionary serving in Nepal. “They have been displaced from their homes and families and have been traumatized by the scenes of devastation surrounding them. Many have lost parents, siblings or other loved ones. Their world has been turned upside down.”

Immediately after the initial earthquake, Salesian Missions launched an emergency fund to assist Salesian missionaries in Nepal. The funding goes directly to support relief efforts on the ground in communities and remote villages. Salesian Missions is urging the public to donate to its Nepal Emergency Fund. Go to www.SalesianMissions.org/Nepal for more information and to give to the relief efforts.

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Sources:

Salesian Missions – Nepal is Calling

Salesian Missions – Nepal Emergency Fund

Don Bosco Thecho

The post NEPAL: Short Video Documentary Tells Story of Salesian Missionaries Helping with Relief, Rebuilding Efforts after Devastating Earthquakes first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Salesian missionaries in the country were among the first to respond to those affected assisting with food, water, shelter and other supplies.

“Because Salesian missionaries live in the communities in which they provide education and social development services, they are often among the first responders providing emergency aid and assessing relief needs,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian missionaries will remain to help local families restore their livelihoods and rebuild their homes and communities long after other relief services have left.”

Immediately after the initial earthquake, Salesian Missions launched an emergency fund to assist Salesian missionaries in Nepal. The funding goes directly to support relief efforts on the ground in communities and remote villages. The Nepal Don Bosco Society, a Salesian non-governmental organization, has reached out to more than 30,000 people in 19 villages spanning six districts and has distributed more than 100 tons of relief materials. Sixty tons of food and tarpaulins funded by the Salesian Kolkata Province and other donors were sent across the border from India.

Thousands of people who have been left homeless and are living in makeshift tents are now preparing to face the monsoon season. The United Nations has estimated that close to 160,000 homes and 1,383 schools were destroy by the first earthquake while the government of Nepal estimates the number of homes destroyed to be more than 300,000. A U.N. report on the relief work in Nepal has noted that while the Nepalese government has promised to give every homeless family 15,000 rupees (235 U.S dollars) to buy corrugated metal sheeting to protect them from the weather, many are still waiting to receive the money.

While initially providing tarpaulins and plastic tents for temporary shelter, Salesian missionaries are now working to distribute corrugated metal sheeting to give people greater protection from the rain of the impending monsoon season. The same sheeting can then be used to construct permanent roofs for the houses which will have to be constructed and completed before the onset of winter.

“We are moving into the second phase of our relief work and preparing for the upcoming weather,” says Father Jijo John, coordinator of emergency relief in Nepal. “Emergency rescue operations and the distribution of food concluded on Sunday, May 31 to make way for the relocation of families and the reconstruction of homes.”

Salesian relief teams have been traveling to places where little aid has arrived in order to serve those most in need. They are also extending their relief work to new areas including the local municipality of Kamlamai Nagara Palika in the Sindhuli district that was hit hard by the earthquake. A Salesian relief team has also gone into Khimiti, a village in the Ramechap district where there are 1,200 households and more than 1,400 adults and 1,500 children in need. Nearly 90 percent of the homes in this village have collapsed and the other 10 percent are partially damaged. In these villages, volunteers are distributing food, clean water, oil and materials for shelter, among other necessities.

Salesian missionaries operate two programs in the Kathmandu Valley. Don Bosco Thecho is a technical school located in the Kathmandu suburb of Lubhu and Don Bosco Siddhipur, located in the Lalitpur district, offers both a primary and secondary school. The Salesian relief teams are made up of missionaries, teachers, students and volunteers from these programs.

“Salesian missionaries are continuing to provide aid and emergency relief but supplies are limited. The emergency appeal will help provide aid directly to those who need it most,” adds Fr. Hyde.

Salesian Missions is urging the public to donate to its Nepal Emergency Fund which will go directly to support missionaries currently working on the ground helping those affected by the devastation and aftermath of the earthquake. Go to www.SalesianMissions.org/Nepal for more information and to give to the relief efforts.

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Sources:

Spain – Emergency Aid to Nepal enters second phase, with fear of Monsoons

UN Office for Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – Nepal Earthquake Situation Report

Salesian Missions – Nepal Emergency Fund

Don Bosco Thecho

The post NEPAL: Missionaries Distribute Aid, Begin Providing Materials for Shelter in Preparation for Monsoon Season first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Forty of Nepal’s 75 districts have been affected, 16 of them severely, with homes, buildings, cattle, fields ready for harvest and other property destroyed. There are more than 500,000 people who have been displaced as a result of the earthquakes who are in desperate need of tents, food, water and medicine.

The second earthquake hit the already devastated regions of Dolahka and Sindhupalchok making an already difficult situation worse. Salesian missionaries have been tapping financial resources and organizing volunteers to aid as many victims as possible.

“An earthquake again rocked Nepal leaving us in shock and panic”, reported Salesian missionaries working in Kathmandu. “However, there was no damage to our properties and personnel that has been reported so far. Though warned of a more powerful quake than the previous one, no injuries or damages were reported from our communities and we continue to provide relief work.”

After the first earthquake, Salesian priests, brothers and sisters (who are living and working in Kathmandu and surrounding villages) immediately responded to those in need. Risking their own safety, Salesian missionaries assessed the damage and began bringing residents food aid and tarps to provide shelter to those who had lost their homes. Close to 1,000 people were provided aid the evening of the earthquake.

Once Salesian missionaries could access remote villages that were unreachable due to blocked roads and debris directly after the earthquake, they immediately supplied village residents with large quantities of provisions and relief kits including food, clothing, hygiene products and other necessities.

In the two weeks since the earthquake, the Nepal Don Bosco Society, a non governmental organization affiliated with the Social Welfare Council of Nepal, has reached out to more than 30,000 people (close to 7,800 families) within 19 villages across six districts and distributed more than 100 tons of relief materials. In addition, with funding from the Salesian Kolkata Province in India and other donors, 60 tons of food and tarps were sent across the border from Siliguri, India to Nepal.

Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, launched an emergency fund immediately following the first earthquake to assist Salesian missionaries in Nepal. Salesian Missions offices in Italy, Germany, Austria, Australia, China, Korea, Japan and India have also been supporting the relief work on the ground in Nepal.

“Salesian missionaries have been providing education and social development services in Nepal since the 1990s, and because these missionaries are part of the community, they are well positioned to provide immediate aid after disasters like this earthquake,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions. “Reports from missionaries on the ground in Nepal indicate that many people have lost everything and are living in tents exposed to cold and rainy weather. The second earthquake has caused more devastation and fear and has left those affected in a more desperate situation.”

“Salesian missionaries are continuing to provide aid and emergency relief but supplies are limited. The emergency appeal will help missionaries on the ground provide aid directly to those who need it most,” adds Fr. Hyde.

Salesian Missions is urging the public to donate to its Nepal Emergency Fund, which will go directly to support missionaries currently working on the ground helping those affected by the devastation and aftermath of the earthquake. Go to www.SalesianMissions.org/Nepal for more information and to give to the relief efforts.

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Sources

ANS – Nepal – Earthquake again; Salesians are unhurt

Don Bosco India – A Salesian response to the earthquake’s aftermath

CNN – Death toll from this week’s Nepal earthquake rises above 125

The post NEPAL: Salesian Missionaries Respond Providing Continued Relief and Assistance after Second Earthquake Hits Nepal first appeared on MissionNewswire.