Sirmooree Summer 2015

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I went to Nagarkot, the village of a friend of mine. All the houses are
destroyed. His family were camping out beside the ruin but had
scavenged CGI to make a temporary shelter. We saw no government
presence or relief effort in the villages.
3 May 2015
Yesterday I went by motorcycle to Sindhupalchowk, reportedly the worst
affected area in the country. Some villages had been completely
destroyed while others close by appeared unscathed. The beauty of the
scenery was in stark contrast to the scenes of devastation and the stench
of bodies still buried under rubble.
People in Kathmandu had taken the plight of their fellow citizens to heart
and there was a long stream of every type of transport imaginable
carrying relief supplies. I also saw rescue teams from Portugal, Norway,
the UK, Japan and others but the Nepal government relief effort was
again noticeable by its absence.
7 May 2015
I volunteered to help a GWS relief programme in Dhading, west of
Kathmandu, and located a temporary base for sending supplies up to the
remote villages near the Tibetan border. The road proved too bad for
our motorbikes. Only the Land Rover from the Welfare Centre was
tough enough for the job.
In Lapang, on the Ankhu Khola in Dhading, people were sleeping in
whatever makeshift structures they could build from the ruins of their
homes. The village had limited supplies of food, but most items were
running out and even in Dhading Besi, the district centre, few
consumables were in the market.
Behind our camp was a destroyed house. The occupants’ six year-old
son, Saphal, was looking miserable with one sandal and one plastic shoe
worn on the wrong foot. His clothing and other shoes were buried under
the rubble. I took him a new pair of shoes a few days later. Like most of
the kids in the village Saphal has some kind of skin infection. It looks a
little like chicken pox. I asked his mother to consult the GWS medic.
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