Students start Nepal aid campaign
June 11, 2015
By Marc Thomas
A gofundme.com page launched by Nepalese UK students has raised more than $4,000 to help those suffering from the devastating series of earthquakes and aftershocks that occurred in and around Kathmandu in April.
The webpage, “Nepal, I am with you,” aims to raise $10,000. Anup Phayal, a UK political science Ph.D. candidate, traveled to the Chautara district of Nepal to offer help on the ground.
Phayal said people are forced to be selective over basic necessities, but there is enough food for everyone.
“Since the villages sustain mainly through agriculture, locals told me that they are less worried about food than shelter,” said Phayal.
According to the Red Cross, about 90 percent of the homes have collapsed in Chautara. “The villages are devastated and people are quite worried about the monsoon season that is fast approaching,” Phayal said.
Proceeds from the gofundme page will go to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund, which gives donations to rescue, treatment, relief, rehabilitation and restoration of infrastructure, according to the group’s website.
A U.N. resident coordinator situation report noted that 8,702 people were killed, 2.8 million people require humanitarian assistance and 505,745 homes have been destroyed in Nepal as of June 3.
