Worried about loved ones, Nepalese students raise funds for earthquake survivors

When Tripti Shakya, a nursing student at Southeast Missouri State University, learned her family in Nepal was sitting outside as aftershocks rocked the area, she felt helpless.

"My mom was terrified," Shakya said as she recalled the conversation with her parents Thursday. "They were on the streets with rugs and blankets for the whole day, because they were getting aftershocks, one after another."

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake April 25 crumbled buildings and historic structures, killing more than 5,500 people and injuring more than 10,000. Thousands more were rendered homeless.

Pratima Gautam, a Southeast Missouri State student from Kathmandu, Nepal, makes a sign to be hung for the fundraiser at Centenary Church on Thursday in Cape Girardeau. (Glenn Landberg)

Shakya called her grandparents and other friends and family. Fortunately, they were not hurt, she said. But her family's home was damaged, and a shortage of food quickly became the main concern.

"None of the stores were open, so they were using all the stuff that was there at home," she said. "After I heard that, I didn't eat anything for two days. Every time I cooked or made something, I just remembered them and thinking about what situation they might be in.

"All you can do is just talk to them. That's it. You can't do anything for them, and that's a helpless feeling."

About 75 students from Nepal are enrolled at Southeast, and all have been affected by Nepal's massive earthquake in some way, said Suzanne Omran, assistant director of international programming and adviser to the Nepalese Student Assocation at Southeast.

To raise funds for earthquake victims, the association, with help from Centenary Church members, hosted a dinner Thursday evening. After a day of preparing meals, the students served traditional Nepalese foods, with all the proceeds from the $10 tickets going to support the relief efforts of the International Medical Corps.

An event room at Centenary Church began to fill quickly by 6 p.m., and about 500 people were expected to attend throughout the two-hour event.

Dona Gurung, a Southeast Missouri State student from Kathmandu, Nepal, stirs a dish to be served during the fundraiser at Centenary Church on Thursday in Cape Girardeau. The event raised money to further the relief efforts of the International Medical Corps for those effected by the earthquake. (Glenn Landberg)

The association hosted a candle lighting on campus earlier this week to honor those who were killed. The students also organized a two-day bake sale that raised about $500.

"I think our next step is going out in the community," Shakya said, adding the association plans to ask for donations in front of local businesses.

"We thought this was high time that we react," she said. "Sitting here, feeling helpless isn't going to work. If we can at least raise some funds and donate to an organization that is doing something, then that's going to be a huge contribution."

Shakya's family resides in Lalitpur, near the capital city of Kathmandu.

She hasn't been home in more than two years but had booked a flight to visit when the semester ends this month.

"My parents said, 'Don't come back, because it's very dusty over here. Many people are buried under the buildings, and they haven't been taken out,'" Shakya said, adding there's worry of a potential disease outbreak.

"I just cried after my dad said that to me -- 'Don't come back' -- because I was really excited after 2 1/2 years I was going to go back," she said.

Five days after the quake, tent cities in Kathmandu had thinned out, and life in the capital slowly was returning to normal.

The threat of aftershocks lingers, however, and that fear weighs on the minds of students, Shakya said.

"It just scares the heck out of everyone here," she said. "You've gone from a country, and it's the fear that country would no longer be there."

More than 70 aftershocks stronger than magnitude 3.2 have been recorded in the Himalayan region by Indian scientists over the past five days, according to J.L. Gautam, the director of seismology at the Indian Meteorological Department in New Delhi.

The strongest, registering magnitude 6.9, came Sunday, he said, and they could continue for the next few weeks, months or even years.

Shakya's family went back into their house Wednesday.

Before that, her father and their pets had been staying in the family's car, and the rest of her family was under a tent in the yard.

"People are tired of sitting outside," she said. "It's raining, and they're getting sick because of the pollution outside. Everyone's compelled to move inside the house, even if it's not safe. You need to cook. You need to eat. Shelter is important."

Shakya said her mother went to a grocery store, but only four people were allowed inside at a time, and the cost of a milk packet has risen from 13 Nepalese rupees to 32.

"This earthquake, it has hit all kinds of people -- rich, poor," she said. "Those who can afford it, buy. Those who can't stay hungry."

Shakya said she hopes to return home this month if her flight isn't canceled.

"I feel I should be there," she said. "Whatever help I

can provide, I can and I will."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

klamb@semissourian.com

388-3639

Pertinent address:

300 N. Ellis St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.