Relief Program at Chitwan Posted January 17, 2018 by Suchan Budha

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Over one-million people all across Nepal were adversely impacted by the floods of August 2017. The catastrophic toll stands at 160 people dead, 45 injured, 29 missing, and 43,000 homes destroyed. According to government reports, the disaster temporarily displaced 21,000 families.

On January 8th, 2018, Rangjung Yeshe Shenpen, in cooperation with Nepal Scouts Chitwan, distributed a substantial quantity of relief supplies including blankets, rice, and sanitary pads. In the worst-hit village of Kusum Khola, Chitwan, 250 people from at least 50 village households benefited from this contribution.

Dalit, whose ethnicity in Nepal is regarded as low caste, are always the most vulnerable individuals in need of support.  Therefore, we were pleased to be able to provide them with much-needed relief materials. Our friends from the Scouts, along with local volunteers, made a careful house-to-house survey to select appropriate beneficiaries. Special emphasis was placed on the worst-affected families. We also involved volunteers from the local community and the nearby government school to ensure that we identified the poverty-stricken families truly devastated. The local people and school officials were more than happy to cooperate with our worthwhile aid effort, and each family’s head-of-household, receiving our relief items, responded very positively

We also provided new school supplies to students from the poorest families. We donated over 150 bags filled with notebooks, pencils, pens, and (for girls) sanitary pads to the students of Jana Kalyan Madhiyamik Vidhalaya, a government-run school.

“We are overwhelmed by the turnout, and the level at which we have been able to give back to our community,” said the principal of Jana Kalyan Madhiyamik Vidhalaya, the school where we conducted the program.

Our heartfelt thanks to Eric Fairman, Kristy Walter (Boston), and the RYI Student Society for their kind and generous donations, and to the Scouts of Chitwan for their dedicated social commitment.