Wojethar village children making bricks for their eventual home

We all have been highly concerned with the earthquakes of Nepal for six months with over 10,000 people killed, 70,000 homes not livable, around 17,000 homes in our 48 villages lost. How can things be worse when they are already horrific?

Without getting political since I do not know everything about the unofficial embargo in place by India, here is an update, a report as understood. These past weeks, the conditions for Nepal have indeed worsened for the Nepalese people because of the embargo preventing usual supplies to cross the borders to Nepal as International Law requires for landlocked countries, which Nepal is.

What this means:

No fuel for transporting supplies of any kind
No homes can be built to protect the people from winter which is resulting in the youth, elders and infirmed getting sick and dying because of exposure. This will worsen with the winter weather arriving driving temperatures to freezing
No medical supplies are available to Nepal’s hospitals or the people in need
Dashain is the beloved long holiday to greet friends and family, to laugh and eat together, to return to their villages to see family, much as we do for our Christmas season. With no fuel, no transportation to honor the religious holiday, this Dashain was the saddest ever experienced in Nepal’s history
No cooking fuels are available. Cooking in the street IF wood can be located is the only way to prepare foods for city people
Villagers cannot get their produce to market, they have lost their year of work and income while their products spoil before them
City dwellers are not able to purchase food as little arrives to the markets
The black-market usually swollen abundantly, has no fuel or food for any price
Those transporting fuel from India are stopped at the common borders, some drivers being threatened, tortured, and with their fingers cut off so they cannot drive, ever!
Recently the humanitarian crisis has begun to be recolonized worldwide, the implications as listed above being known since the embargo began about September 21. The UN and World have physically done nothing to date. Observing is been all that has been done, with ‘words’ to India to stop it, but no help arriving to bring in supplies necessary for living. This is a CRISIS, now!

China, at the Tibetan border and roads was earthquake crushed like Nepal. The border has not reopened. Pending fuel supplies from China to Nepal and other supplies to flow in is near as the roads are restored. Recently India issued threats to China not to go forward with shipping.

The last news-blast indicated my own flight was canceled by the airline I booked months ago, the reason being no refueling available to any airline at KTM. Though I long to go to Nepal to see the damages by the quakes, it has been a blessing not to go since I would not be able to eat or get in and out of our villages. The plan, providing fuel and foods are restored, may be a deep winter journey the last of January, early February. I am packed!

78% of the schools of Nepal bring in the children by buses; they are closed indefinitely. This appears to all be grim news. We have great news to share. Our school, Top of the World – Nepal is open and running well. In fact we have the newest in Peace Classes being taught weekly for 2 hours by the Buddhist group called, Panch sil, Parinati Education. We welcome these additional classes to our standard daily hour classes on peace. Children from other schools join in with our children each week. The classes are all successful. The children enjoy them.

In the same village, the Dalit’s, lower caste, rebuilt their Christian Church and offer the church building as a Community Center for Wojethar village with classes taught about preventing trafficking, women’s rights, children’s rights, human rights, health and encouragement. The villagers are enthusiastic and pleased for the classes as well as the use of the building. The classes are filled to capacity and over-flowing!

Kindle donations continues- for the school children. Our personal ‘couriers’ carry the TOW-N school tools to the children, filled with European/American Classics. The Kindle request continues for those of you wanting to help us with the program. We have sufficient electricity to keep them all charged. (one hour to two per day of electricity in the village).

Amy Jackson of Laguna will have a TEA fundraiser for us, date to be announced early November.

Always where things are appearing out of balance, good does continue as you have read.

Where can you help? Volunteer your skills, knowledge, have a gathering to help us; donations are tax deductible, and year end gifts will benefit you and R Star’s work. We welcome anything you are able and willing to do to help us continue to make a difference, which we do because of you. Thank you for your time to read the R Star update as we know you continue to care.

PHOTOS:
#1 Busses lined up for over 5 miles, over 72 hours for limited fuel allotments
#2 Rabin’s mother and aunts shopping for Dashain, traditional produce unavailable
#3 Symbol for the 78% of closed schools TOW-N is open!