StuNews Laguna helping to bring awareness to our most important cause
StuNews Laguna helping to bring awareness to our most important cause
R Star Foundation helps Women & Children in Nepal: remembering the earthquake two years ago
R Star Foundation serves and educates the isolated and disempowered women and children of Nepal. They connect resources to the neediest people in one of the most remote areas on earth, helping to bring about peace.
Two years ago, on April 26 and again on May 12, earthquakes took the lives of nearly 10,000 Nepalese along with countless livestock. 96 percent of the housing in the quake areas was demolished along with all the worldly goods and food for the upcoming year for the affected families.
According to Rosalind Russell, director of R Star Foundation, five months after the quakes, while villagers were attempting to rebuild their homes and lives, the government of India imposed an embargo on Nepal, refusing to transport building materials, fuel for transportation and cooking, and disallowed medical supplies to enter Nepal. India was flexing their political muscle in an attempt to gain what is not theirs to have, fertile lands of Terai and the abundant water of Nepal.
Destroyed home with tin shack now used as family’s living quarters
She says, “The Indian people are lovely. The Indian government, however, literally kicked the crumbled country of Nepal while they were bleeding on the ground (metaphorically speaking). The embargo ended about 6 months later. Supplies are still slow to enter Nepal, and at three times the cost of before the embargo. Flights were canceled as refueling was not possible in Kathmandu, because no fuel was available to the outgoing airlines. I know. My flight was cancelled 3 weeks prior to departure in 2015.”
“Briefly, from my perspective having recently returned after 2 plus months in Nepal, the devastation remains staggering. Few families in remote villages have funds to rebuild their homes. The quake demolished homes were insulated, offered security from theft to violence and rapes. The wildlife poses problems beyond what we know of in our lives. The people and the remaining livestock are subject to being killed by the wildlife. The plight of the villagers remains astonishingly shocking.”
Damaged Nepal elementary school, funds to repair still pending
Russell continues, “The tin shacks most villagers live in at this time are not suitable for human life, yet better than the total exposure they had following the quakes. Nepal’s unstable government doesn’t have the funds to rebuild all the homes, the funds gifted by the world after the quakes have yet to arrive to the villagers. The more remote the villages, the fewer available programs reach them. You may recall we are building organic greenhouses which generate produce year-round, thus income all year, unlike field agriculture. The families are using the added income to rebuild their homes. Some of our donors have gifted us ten greenhouses at a time ($550/greenhouse currently), so we are directly helping.”
Their volunteer Regional Director, Rabindra Sitaula, directs the government programs he learns about to the villages, including other agencies desiring to help. Russell says, “He is truly a life changing person by all he does to get help in all forms to our villagers.”
Please help us make a difference by making a donation today. No amount is too small.
Thank you