Imagine living in a place where your home, your city, your country is in devastation. Everywhere you turn is rubble. A place where the shops have been destroyed and instead of fields of rice, there is debris. Imagine having no homeowner’s insurance, no savings, and no job because an earthquake destroyed even that. Imagine trying to stay positive when you have no means to reconstruct your life. You’ve lived that way for 5 months and then your country is suddenly hit with political trouble and your giant neighbor to the south closes its border. Food, cooking gas (propane) and most all other necessities that have always been imported from your neighboring country have been cut off!! Food is extremely scarce and the little that is available has quadrupled in price. You thought life couldn’t get any worse but in the past 6 weeks it’s become nearly unbearable. This is real life, real time, in Nepal. St. Devi’s Academy and the 125 children we support, is right in the middle of this crisis.
On November 5, the United States Embassy in Kathmandu published this statement:
“The United States is deeply concerned by the increasing volatile situation along the Nepal-India border, resulting in critical shortages of fuel, medicine, and foodstuffs, including in area still reeling from the devastating earthquakes of April and May.
With winter only weeks away, the international donor community is unable to deliver vital relief and shelter supplies to many vulnerable communities. Lives are at stake, and we are concerned that a humanitarian crisis may result. The United States calls on all those involved to redouble their efforts to resolve this crisis. Everyone should contribute to creating positive conditions for meaningful political dialogue to ensure that the constitution accommodates the aspirations of all Nepalis.
The United States stands ready to assist the people and government of Nepal as they continue along their democratic path and rebuild from the April earthquake.”
(Pictures show before and after the earthquake)
A man walks along the street near a collapsed house following Saturday’s earthquake in Kathmandu, Nepal May 1, 2015. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar