Two-year-old Amrita, Agreet's sister, said she rushed toward her tent to her mother's arms as soon as a small tremor shook the ground in the afternoon. She was referring to the aftershock of 4.6 magnitude felt on Wednesday at 1:15pm with its epicenter at Sindhupalchowk on the same day.
Their mother, Indra Kumari, said even the slightest aftershocks send many children at Tundikhel ground running toward their parents. Although Temporary Learning Classes (TLC) has been set up at the ground to divert children's mind away from quake fears, many children are still unable cast off their anxieties."TLC and fun classes have benefited many children. They seem to be enjoying playing around and learning arts and crafts. But I've noticed many children are still under the grip fears about earthquake," she said. "Even my own children do not leave Tundikhel ground fearing possible collapse of buildings."
Her family has been staying at Tundikhel ground since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake rattled the country in April 25. With aftershocks slowly receding in scale, Indra Kumari's worries have now shifted to troubles storms and heavy rains are likely to bring in a few days.
"During yesterday's thunderstorm, I held my daughter in one arm and used the other to hold our tent. My children were very frightened and crying," she said. "Since our house was badly damaged in the earthquake, we have nowhere else to go. It will be hard for us to survive the harsh monsoon inside the tent," Indra Kumari added.
Children at Tundikhel ground could be seen playing football, cricket, or just running around.
Many of them also attend programs run by Venayatan Nepal Earthquake Relief. According to Rakesh Shrestha, a volunteer, the class begins from 10am to 4pm everyday and children practice arts and crafts and play fun games. "The classes have definitely brought positive changes to many traumatized children. But obviously, it'll take some more time for them to start feeling normal again," he added.
According to Narayan Singh Khadka, spokesperson for metropolitan police commissioner office of Rani Pokhari, 3,756 people have taken shelter at Tundikhel ground, out of them 513 are children. The earthquake and its frequent aftershocks as well as violent winds are having negative psychological impact on many children.
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