Such a youth is Suman Maharjan, an MBA student, who went to Sindhupalchowk District to provide help to the victims there last Saturday. Watching on TV the conditions of all those victims overwhelmed him and he decided that he had to do something. With some friends, he collected relief materials which seemed adequate enough and carried them to the area. But it was only upon reaching the area that they realized the relief materials they had carried weren't adequate.
"It was heart-wrenching to see so many people fighting for food. Unlike what we had imagined before setting off for Sindhupalchowk, we weren't satisfied with our efforts at all. We wished we could do some more," he expressed.
And parents? Are they supportive of his trials?
"Well, of course, they want our wellbeing. With aftershocks occurring again and again and with so much news about lootings in remote areas, they don't want us to get so far away from home. They want us to volunteer but somewhere near home," said Suman, a Kathmanduite.
Pemba Sherpa, the founder of Believers, was all set to go to Iran on a vacation. But following the destructive earthquakes, he decided to cancel it. Now, along with Abari, a research institute, the Believers team is working to provide relief materials to people in Gorkha. They were the first ones to reach the district.
"I knew there would be very few people going to places like Gorkha because people would opt for nearer places. Hence I thought that the place needed us. So far, I'm going to different places in Gorkha and assessing the needs of these areas which I then relay to my team," he says.
His team has provided four truckloads and two helicopters of relief materials so far. For the long term, his team plans to build two model villages in Kavre and Barpak in Gorkha. The team plans to meet with the CDOs to discuss the topic. The model village will have quality education and healthcare system.
Similarly, Pragya Thapaliya, a student of development studies, is volunteering in Kavre to try and provide coordination between government and victims.
"My house was intact after the earthquakes. It was scary and so I stayed locked up inside my home. But on seeing reports of death and how people are suffering so much, I felt empty inside. I felt that I needed to do something. Then I started volunteering inside the Valley. Now through an organization, I'm outside Kathmandu where we work to coordinate between the government and the victims."
"It's much safer to stay home while so much scarier to go to cracked houses that could fall down anytime. But I guess we need to overcome that. Because, as youths, we're the active members, so we can't expect children and the elderly to volunteer. Therefore, I believe it's we who we need to think of our responsibilities to our society," Pragya shared.
Sharad Limbu, who is in Nepal currently on a holiday from Hong Kong where he works, found people very helpful during his volunteering. Along with a team of 28, he went to Sindhupalchowk all the way from Dharan, providing relief materials such as solar lamps, sanitary napkins, and medical kits to the victims. He expressed that people, despite losing so much, were courteous and helpful to them.
"We found the places smelly and distressing. They were all in hope of relief from the government. In fact, we were the first relief teams to reach there. Despite that, we were surprised to find them so cooperative," he said.
Youth are the pillars of the nation, and during these catastrophes, they are expected to come out of their safety cocoon and contribute in putting together the country and its people. It's indeed encouraging to see so many young people offering their help, however little it may be.
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