It has been a month since Nepal suffered the deadliest disaster in its history. A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit the Himalayan country on April 25, killing thousands and demolishing more than half a million homes, most of them in rural areas. A second major quake struck on May 12, just as the people were beginning to recover from the previous quake. According to the home ministry, the death toll from the two quakes stands at more than 8,500.
Many parts of the country are still in relief mode and as of May 17, rescuers were still searching for people missing in remote villages.
Dozens of charitable organizations of various faiths and Christian Churches have responded positively to an appeal by the Apostolic Vicar of Nepal, Bishop Paul Simick, to work together in a joint operation to help the quake survivors. Caritas Nepal is leading the operation, supported by Caritas India and Australia.
The Jesuits are one of the religious communities working with Caritas. Together with many student volunteers from Jesuit-run schools, they have been visiting villages severely affected by the disaster to distribute relief, food, tarpaulin sheets for temporary shelter, and medical aid.
On May 19, they committed to a long-term response by establishing the Nepal Jesuit Social Institute (NJSI). It was conceived by Nepal Jesuit Regional Superior Boniface Tigga and his core team supported by Fr Prakash Louis SJ to respond systematically and effectively to the tragedy. Led by its coordinator Fr Boby Joseph SJ, NJSI has begun developing a detailed, long-term recovery and rehabilitation program for the survivors.
“This is an unusual time. Unusual times demand unusual response,” said Fr George Pattery SJ, President of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia, in his speech wishing the institute every success in its ministry.
About a hundred people, consisting of priests, sisters, well-wishers and friends attended the inauguration ceremony on May 19, including Bishop Simick who blessed the institute, and Bishop Emeritus Anthony Sharma SJ who offered special prayers.
In his speech, chief guest Mr Suresh Adhikari, the United Nations Development Programme’s Joint Secretary, Ministry of General Administration, said he wished that NJSI would take a lead role in the ongoing relief and rehabilitation operations in the country. He also requested that NJSI extend its expert service to assist thousands of traumatized school-going children to return to school and continue their studies.
One of the villages the Jesuits have been helping is Tipling in the Dhading District. Almost all 500 houses in the village were damaged or destroyed in the first earthquake.
On May 5, Fr Samuel Simick SJ arranged for a helicopter from the Indian Army to bring relief goods to the area.
Then came the second earthquake.
“Yesterday’s tremors were more than tremors,” said Fr Simick the next day. “They shook the confidence that was slowly building in the people to rebuild and resettle in the houses.”
The earthquake caused cracks on hilltops and land slopes in Tipling, and raised fears of major landslides coming with the impending monsoon season. According to Fr Simick, the most affected is Tipling’s Ward No 1, where members of the dalit – outsiders in Nepal’s caste system – reside. “Their food supplies are very low, and they have no place even to put up makeshift tents for temporary shelter,” he explained.
“People are slowly returning to ‘normal living’; however, there is underlying fear and anxiety due to the aftershocks that continue almost daily,” said Fr Pattery, adding that Jesuits from around the world have reached out to offer assistance.
The first group of Jesuit scholastics has arrived from India and is undergoing an orientation programme to undertake relief work especially in the far-flung areas.
“The devastating earthquake has turned the global attention, at least for a while, on Nepal. It is time that we engage this opportunity to lay the foundation for a sustainable long term development,” said Fr Pattery. “Nepal, an important constituent of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia, needs our special care and we continue rendering that in true sense of our universal mission and companionship.”
Donations to the relief work by the Jesuits in Nepal can be made through the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific. Contact jcapsj@jcapsj.org for the bank transfer details.
To follow the relief efforts by the Nepal Jesuits, visit their Facebook page, Earthquake relief by Nepal Jesuits: www.facebook.com/sjrelief4nep