A seismic shift for Nepal’s children
When I visited our work in Nepal a few years ago I travelled up-country to some of the poorer areas in which World Vision works. I was immediately struck by the resilience and hard work of the people, the reserved dignity of the children and youths I met, and the sense of hope for a better future.
I was also forced to come to terms with the narrow, fragile road network. Our vehicle crunched off the side of a narrow track as we tried to pass an oncoming vehicle and became so stuck that we had to recruit local people to come and free it.
Photo: Kevin Jenkins and World Vision staff receive help from locals to free the stuck vehicle.
The resilience that I observed in the Nepalese people is helping them now as they begin to recover from the earthquake which levelled buildings and killed thousands. The poor infrastructure – while unsurprising in one of the poorest countries in Asia – certainly is not helping.
World Vision has stockpiles of tents, blankets and other emergency items, ready for an emergency like this, and we are working with the government, the United Nations and others to bring more supplies in. But Kathmandu’s single runway, and the challenging up-country roads, make this a difficult task.
Related Links:
- Children talk about surviving the earthquake
- World Vision opens Child Friendly Spaces for children
- Pray for Nepal
Our office in Kathmandu was badly damaged, and many of our staff’s homes were affected – many are still sleeping outside in the open a week later – but, despite that, we are reaching out to 100,000 desperately needy people with shelter support, child protection and ‘child friendly spaces’ to help the worst-affected children make sense of their shaken world.
Starting in areas where we already have staff and projects, we are conducting assessments and expect to increase our range and scope of work as needs arise.
Of my memories of Nepal, a meeting in a mountain community in Bhaktapur, with a World Vision youth club, stands out. Pushpa, an eloquent and informed 19-year-old, told me that Nepal was going to need a new type of leadership from his generation if it was to overcome the multiple developmental problems it faces.
Even before the earthquake, life was hard for children in Nepal - around 23,000 under the age of five die of preventable causes in Nepal each year. Of those who survive their fifth birthday, 40 per cent are stunted due to malnutrition.
Photo: On an earlier trip to Nepal in 2011, Kevin Jenkins enjoys a chat with several sponsored children.
The earthquake has brought this beautiful country’s needs to the world’s attention. I hope it leads to a seismic shift in the way we reach out and support some of the world’s most vulnerable children who live there.
In this time of great need, I express deep gratitude to all who partner with us to address the desperate emergency the people of Nepal are facing … and over time to help them rebuild their lives.