Dear friends,
This edited report (below) from Himalayan Projects, the Belgian NGO we partner in Western Nepal, provides an update on the Nepal earthquake relief work that your donations are helping to make possible. I am sending it to everyone in our mailing lists, since a good number of you helped us raise the £5593 in response to the disaster. Although the earthquake is no longer in the news, the work of rebuilding homes and schools will continue for years. We have already sent over £2000 to Himalayan Projects. Another £3000 will be handed over to them in November, when Barbara Porter (director volunteer programme) undertakes her inspection visit to Nepal on behalf of HELP. We will retain £500 to protect one of the schools HELP supports in Sikkim from a huge rock that has been loosened by the quake.
Thanks again for your generosity.
Best wishes,
Jim Coleman
Himalayan Education Lifeline Programme (HELP)
Hello
Immediately after the quake we started with relief work. First we contacted the Red Cross society for info on the needs in the different districts and made shortlists. With personal savings from us and some friends we started buying relief material. We concentrated on buying durable goods such as corrugated iron sheets for emergency shelters but can later be reused for permanent housing. Additionally, where needed, we also provided plastic sheets for ‘walls’, mattresses, blankets, pillows, water storage drums, water purifying tablets and food.
Whilst buying all these things on the local markets a Belgian Doctor and nurse arrived and visited several villages for medical assistance.
Luckily our own schools withstood the tremors excellently but some houses in the vicinity of our Chinnebas schools were badly damaged. As it was not in the epicenter it didn’t receive any help so we took it on ourselves to help there as well.
Our First true expedition partly funded by your organisation (Himalayan Education Lifeline Programme) near the epicenter took us 2 days to reach with 3 4×4 trucks and 2 jeeps. to Dharka in Dhading district. As the village was unreachable buy road some 400 village people came down to the last road head near some landslides to collect and carry the goods for 3 hours up to there village. 
Our doctor team gave them all a check up as well and sanitary napkins were distributed amongst the women as they were very much affected buy the lack of water, bathrooms and clothes. Additionally we donated 1500 pounds of medicine to the local Red Cross society
Our second expedition went to the epicenter in Gorkha distict:
Next we delivered corrugated iron roofs for Manakamana village in Gorkha district
In Manbu we constructed a temporary school:-
In Beni, district HQ of Myagdi district we provided all necessary materials for repairing 6 schools and 1 in Parbat district.
For a village in Solu Khumbu district (Everest) we provided plastic tarpaulin for 300 houses.
On our way back home we finally provided relief for a village where the school of 150 children completely collapsed. …This school we’re planning to rebuild.
So ….our small Bsure team was able to help a few places. Mostly thanks to all the spontaneous help from our friends from Belgium, Germany, the UK, America, Holland.
Next we are planning to build a quake proof school with local materials and we will document this on film for distribution to all affected villages as an example.
Hopefully we can continue to raise money as the real work is just starting. Every village should have a quake proof building which can serve as an emergency shelter when – not if – the next big one hits.
The monsoon is creating havoc as we write (yesterday 40 houses were flooded in Beni, Myagdi) and there is the lack of school materials, books, electricity and water as well.
Don’t forget.
Greetings form the Bsure-team! Reliable and here to stay. With love from Belgium and the World!
Paul Vande Moortel,
Voorzitter/Chairman.
Himalayan Projects
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