Des nouvelles de Phurwa au 30 mai 2015 - News from Phurwa, May 30th, 2015

Cher AD,

Je vous écris en vertu de ma promesse d'aider AD pour «la gestion après catastrophes» à Katmandou, en cas de besoin. Je suis avec vous tous dans les mauvais moments et les bons. Avec Pasang, je serai plus que ravi de faire ce que je peux cet été pour aider à affronter tous les défis aberrants qui peuvent survenir.

Voici quelques photos de SLR prises hier! Comme vous pouvez le voir sur les photos, les enfants traînaient dehors à la recherche d'autant d'ombre que possible. Ce que vous ne pouvez pas voir, les journées sont d'une chaleur torride et les nuits sont pleines de moustiques. Heureusement, les collines népalaises y compris Katmandou ont longtemps été déclarée zone exempte de paludisme par l'OMS. Donc, ne vous inquiétez pas. Les enfants apparemment (et compréhensible) semblent s'ennuyer mais comme leur école reprend demain, tout devrait bien se passer. Les conditions pour dormir et se nourrir sont correctes mais je pense que l'ajout d'une tente de plus pour les filles serait formidable pour un camping  à plus long terme. (Actuellement 13 filles dorment dans une tente, cf photo).

Tenzin et moi avons apporté quelques bâches en plastique et deux autres bâches faites de matériaux de bon tissu (peut-être de faire un abri de fortune et / ou matelas pour le sol). Pasang et moi nous nous sommes rencontrés à plusieurs reprises et avons parlé de faire soit un abri de fortune en bambou et bâche pour ombrager une salle d'étude commune ou alors commander une grande tente dans le même but. Le coût pourrait être plus faible pour le premier, mais beaucoup d'efforts seront nécessaires. La tente pourrait coûter plus cher, mais serait plus portable et facile à mettre en place. Pasang et moi pensons qu'une tente serait tout simplement préférable. Que pensez-vous? Pasang et moi pensons commander une tente bientôt, si vous avez un GO. (Je suis sûr que Pasang et vous avez communiqué sur ces points.

Autre chose, tout se remet lentement à la normale à Katmandou tandis que les tremblements de terre se sont calmés un peu. Je suis sûr que le peuple du Népal pourra surmonter cette adversité comme ils l'ont fait pour de nombreuses adversités de la vie de la vie quotidienne! Et cela vaut pour SLR et les enfants.

Je vous souhaite à tous d'aller bien malgré la surcharge brutale due à la catastrophe. Resterons en contact.

Meilleurs souhaits.

Phurwa

Dear AD,

I am writing to you as a part of my promise to assist AD with the 'after disaster management' in Kathmandu, when needed. I stand with you all in bad times and in good. With Pasang, I will be more than glad to do what I can this summer to assist with any aberrant challenges that may incur by. 

Here are few pictures of SLR taken yesterday! As you can see in the pictures, the kids were hanging out tying to get as much shade as possible. What you can't see there are that the days are scorching hot and nights are that of the mosquitoes. Luckily, Nepali hills including Kathmandu have long been declared malaria free zone by the WHO. So, no need to worry. The kids apparently (and understandably) look bored but when their school resumes tomorrow, all should be okay. Their sleeping and dining conditions look great, and I think the addition of one more tents for the girls would be great for a longer term camping. (currently 13 girls are sleeping in a tent, image 5178). 

Tenzin and I took few plastic tarps and two other tarps made out of good cloth materials (maybe to make a makeshift shade and/or to mat the floor). Pasang and I met several times and talked about either making a makeshift bamboo and tarp shade for a common study hall or ordering a big tent for the same purpose. The cost might be lower for the former but lots of effort will be needed. In contrast tent might cost more but will be more portable and easy to set up. Pasang and I thought tent would simply be better :) What do you think? Pasang and I are thinking of ordering a tent soon, if you have a GO. (I am sure Pasang and you had communicated about these before).

Others, everything slowly pointing towards normal in Kathmandu though the earthquakes have left little of the normal. I am sure the people of Nepal will overcome this adversity as they have been doing many irregular adversities of life on daily basis! And so will SLR and the kids. 

I hope you all are doing good despite the abrupt burden with the disaster. Will keep in touch.

Utmost regards,

Phurwa

11ème festival du Népal les 6 et 7 juin

Venez nous rencontrer et n'hesitez pas à parler de cet événement autour de vous.

Article from Phurwa published in The Kathmandu Post, May 19, 2015

Originally published in The Kathmandu Post, May 19, 2015

http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2015/05/18/earthquake-relief/taking-aid-to-phulping/276375.html

At 5 am on May 8th, some local youths from Phulping village including some monks finally embarked on their long awaited journey home from Kathmandu, on trucks loaded full with relief materials such as white flour, torch lights, instant noodles, soaps, matchsticks and even spices bought with collected funds. It was the thirteenth day after the Gorkha earthquake and a day after the Araniko highway had been cleared off the landslides. This highway was a site of a recent carnage as were the small settlements scattered along the steep, now defaced hills. Sindhupalchowk was then the worst affected district of Nepal with a reported highest death toll and destruction. Apart from the main shock, Sunday's 6.9 and Tueday's 7.3 shocks were within few kilometers of Phulping village. I accompanied the team on their effort to bring relief materials to the region. 

For two weeks before the road was cleared, the small team had been running around the bureaucratic net in Kathmandu desperately trying to get a helicopter to deliver emergency supplies.  None of them or their larger community outside had heard anything from their families in the village after the earthquake. They met their CA member Mohan Basnet and a team member even visited Chautara to meet the Chief District Officer.  Sadly all their efforts were in vain. No helicopter could be found to go to Phulping village. Tashi Rabgye, after meeting the CDO in Chautara, said dejectedly, "after all, everything is politics."

The ride out of Kathmandu into the hills intimidated us with an alarming scale of devastation. Most of the older mud and brick houses along the way were damaged. At Sukute, little was left of the small bazaar, as the Canadian army were examining the destruction. Scenes of more destruction unfolded further up as settlements along the road - Balephi,  Khadichaur, Lamosangu had only few wooden or concrete houses standing. A quick visit into a good looking concrete house at Lamosangu revealed serious cracks inside. People were seen camping out while a few shops were still running by the wall of destroyed buildings. The usual endless checkpoints along the way still persisted but it was much easier for privately managed relief supplies. Near Balephi, Chinese dozers quickly cleared a fresh landslide. Our trucks cleared its way through the treacherous road along the steep hills. There were at least five major landslides along the road and some hills were still in clouds of dust. The destruction only seemed to increase as we headed further. There were huge cracks and land-shift right in the middle of Chaku bazaar, and the settlements at Naya Pool and the Bunjee jumping area were completely destroyed. Everywhere people were seen scavenging through the rubble apparently looking for some leftover goods or usable materials.

There were at least a dozen vehicles crushed by rocks including a public bus. I was informed that many died in these vehicles.  Finally, we reached Khokundol, the nearest point on the road from Phulping village. We were greeted by clouds of dust from the steep hill on the opposite side of the Bhotekoshi river, behind the massive under-construction customs building. Slightly to its right on the historical Dugunagadhi hill all the houses we could see seemed all destroyed,  and the slopes were whitewashed with landslides. And right above us lay a huge tree on a rock ready to fall.

We quickly unloaded the supplies and arranged lunch for the volunteers.  A strong aftershock struck as soon as we sat down to eat. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide since the house we were in had many cracks and the outside was vulnerable to rock falls. Pointing at a damaged house beside us, a young woman lamented the loss of her child in the first earthquake. She was shivering in fear and was warning others against staying in.

In hurry the group made plans for the next day and spread out to trek up the hills to different villages, both to see families and to find safe places to spend the night. They had already sent a group member up to the villages a day earlier to inform people about the supplies we were bringing. I spent the night listening to stories of people who had escaped death. When the earthquake struck, many youths were high on the pastures harvesting yartsagunbu. I was interested to hear that most locals believedyartsagunbu triggered mother nature to curse them in such a way. Reportedly, a neighboring village on the Chinese side of Khasa had even conducted a village meeting to ban the harvest and sale of yartsagunbu. Back at Phulping, a seventy seven years old lady who survived the quake recounted, "I thought it was one of those small tremors but soon it brought down the house on me. I was blinded by the dust, and couldn't get out until quite some time. I was lucky to survive." Another young man, nicknamed Nono, said, "News of the deaths spread. I joined others to clear the rubble but the constant aftershocks forced us to retreat to an open area." All the houses were gone including the local school and the monastery. People were sleeping under makeshift rain shelters made out of zinc sheets salvaged from the ruins of their homes and were eating whatever they managed to dig out of the rubble. In the three wards we visited, eleven people had died and several others were injured. The survivors were bitterly wondering where all those passing helicopters were going  since not a single rescue was made from the villages, let alone dropping supplies. The fields around were ripe for harvest but there were not any safe places to store the grains. With the monsoon approaching, soon people will have more to worry about than their lost houses or family members.

The larger group had decided to distribute supplies and people to all wards of Phulping VDC consisting of 783 households according to the 2011 census. The supply and volunteers were divided into two groups based on their location: Phulping and Narayanthan region (This article reports only the first). We were in charge of Phulping area consisting of approx. 285 households, or rather families. A list was prepared by local representatives prior to the distribution. On the 9th, people began to descend as early as six in the morning. Some had walked three hours downhill to take back the supplies. By nine in the morning, the distribution was in full swing and lasted a couple of hours. Our team distributed 215 boxes of instant noodles, 215 packets of 5 kg white flour, 215 bathing and 430 washing soaps, 215*10 box matchsticks, 215 packet of chili powder, 3 sacks bitten rice and 15 torch lights (for the elderly). Our team decided not to bring rice since we came in coordination with another group that distributed rice and daal. The villagers were happy not just to get the much needed supplies but also to see and hear from their acquintances from the surrounding areas. The quick happy hours of distribution ended with the locals presenting khatas to the volunteers. After lunch, we drove back to Kathmandu as our fellow villagers climbed uphill with supplies.

After Tuesday's 7.3 earthquake, the village again remains cut off from road access and any form of communication to date.

Even as the team wait to take tents and more supplies to these villages as soon as the road is safe to travel, the aftermath of the second earthquake remains unclear.

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This ongoing relief project is made possible due to generous support from monks at Thrangu monastery, Namo Buddha monastery, the Many Faces of Karma Foundation in coordination with Amy Simper, Action Dolpo, various individuals as well as fundraising initiatives by expat and in-country local youths, and of course, the three hardworking musketeers: Tenzin Dolma, Tashi Rabgye (Mangal) and Pasang Wangdi. The team is currently working on their next project to supply tents, portable solar lighting system and more rations.

Projection au profit d'Action Dolpo, suite au séisme au Népal

Les nouvelles du 12 Mai 2015 - News from May 2015, 12th

Communication de Gyalbo, Coordinateur de Vision Dolpo, le 12 Mai 2015

Il y a tout juste une demi-heure, encore une fois, nous avons été terrifiés par un grand tremblement de terre. Nous avons réussi tous à courir jusqu'à l'extérieur et nous  n'avons pas constaté de nouveaux dommages dans notre maison en location. On dit que le Népal a été frappé par une secousse d'une ampleur de 7.4, avec cette fois l'épicentre à Namchebajar - Solukhumbu. Encore une fois c'est triste d'imaginer que de nombreuses personnes ont pu être tuées.

Aujourd'hui à nouveau nous sommes confrontés à une terrifiante secousse 17 jours après le premier tremblement dévastateur qui a tué plus de 10 000 personnes. Nous ne savons pas encore quand et comment une grande secousse va nous frapper. Nous avons tous très peur. Aujourd'hui à nouveau  nous allons retourner sous les tentes.

Nous espérions que ce fut terminé mais ça ne l'était pas. Il y a une grande fissure principalement dans notre bureau et sa partie adjacente, là où je vis, causé par le premier choc. L'ingénieur de la compagnie d'assurance appelé par le propriétaire nous a dit de ne pas nous inquiéter. Mais si

un nouveau Big One nous frappe, cela deviendra vraiment dangereux.

Note from Gyalbo, Vision Dolpo project manager, May 2015, 12th

Just half an hour ago, again we are terrified by a big one. We all succeed to run down to the ground and no new damage seen in our rented house. It is said that Nepal is hit with 7.4 magnitude epicenter at Namchebajar - Solukhumbu this time. Again today it is sad that many people might have killed.

Even today on the 17th day we are facing a terrifying one since the first devastating hit that killed more than 10000 people, we don't know again when and how a big one would hit us. We all are very scared.  So again today we are going back to the tent. 

Hopefully we thought it'll stop but it's not.

There is a big crack mainly in our office and its adjacent part where I am living caused by the first hit. The engineer from the insurance company called by the landlord told us not to worry.  But if the big one again hit us, it's really dangerous. 

La famille de notre cuisinier dans le besoin - The family of our cook is in need

Versement du « don pour le séisme »

Par chèque à l’ordre de ACTION DOLPO à : ACTION DOLPO-CAF  -  24, avenue Laumière  -  75019 PARIS  (indiquer au dos « don pour séisme Népal »

Par virement : demander un RIB à l’adresse ci-dessus, ou à action.dolpo@gmail.com

Par Internet grâce à ce lien sécurisé, pour un versement par carte bancaire (transaction sécurisée). Les frais sont à la charge d’Action Dolpo :

https://www.lepotcommun.fr/pot/ce4poo3a

Ce lien est librement diffusable par mail à toutes vos connaissances.

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 Le coordinateur d’ACTION DOLPO le 4 mai 2015

Chers parrains et marraines,

Quand j'ai téléphoné à CMS pour savoir si tous les familles des membres du personnel de l'école étaient très bien ou pas, j'ai appris que seule la famille de Pemma Sherpa, le cuisinier des élèves qui est de Dolkha, est durement touchée par le tremblement de terre récent.

Heureusement sa femme et ses trois enfants sont sains et saufs, mais il a perdu sa maison et tous ses biens. La maison a été construite cet hiver après que l’ancienne maison ait été emportée l'été dernier par un feu qui n'a laissé qu'un tas de cendres.

Je suppose que maintenant sa situation économique est misérable. Il a besoin d'une aide.

Aussi je demande à Action Dolpo si nous pouvons faire quelque chose pour lui, ne serait-ce qu'un peu pour le consoler.

Merci.

Avec amour.

Gyalpo

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ACTION DOLPO Project Manager, May 4th, 2015

Dearest God mothers and fathers,

When I phoned at CMS in order to know whether all the family members of our school staff are fine or not, none other than the family of our student’s cook Pemma Sherpa who is from Dolkha, is badly affected by the recent earthquake. Fortunately his wife and three children are safe but he lost his house and all his belongings. The house was built in this very winter when his old house was caught by fire last summer which left everything to ashes. 

I suppose that now his economic conditions are very poor. He is in need of a help.

So here I request to AD whether we could do some a favor to him which can be even a small one, just to console him.

Thank you.

With love,

Gyalpo

Aidons le Népal - Help Nepal

Chers adhérents, Chers visiteurs,

Vous êtes nombreux à exprimer votre tristesse et votre compassion pour les habitants du Népal touchés par une catastrophe sans nom.

Tous les jours le bilan des victimes s'aggrave et tous les jours des images viennent renforcer l'idée d'un désastre total pour le pays.

Malheureusement les infrastructures, le matériel disponible, l'absence de voies de transports et la géographie du pays rendent très difficiles les secours aux victimes et sinistrés, particulièrement ceux qui peuplent les montagnes touchées par le séisme.

Sept jours après la première secousse, il y a des zones entières du pays non touchées par les secours et dont on est sans nouvelles. Existent-ils encore ces villages isolés ou sont-ils ensevelis sous des avalanches ou des pans de montagne effondrés? Personne ne le sait.

Ces villages ne peuvent s'atteindre qu'à pied ou en hélicoptère. L'armée népalaise possède peu d'hélicoptères et ne peut donc être partout. Les hélicos du pays ont d'abord été utilisés pour "sauver" les alpinistes sur l'Everest et les arrivées de secours internationaux ralentis pour laisser décoller les avions qui emportaient des touristes.

Le Conseil d'Administration a décidé d'encourager de petites structures locales qui se sont retroussées les manches pour apporter de l'aide aux zones isolées. 

Le coordinateur du projet, Gyalbo, nous a informés de ce qu'il a entrepris avec ses camarades au sein de leur association d'étudiants.

Cela a déclenché la décision de les soutenir - eux et d'autres petites structures connues - pour des actions immédiates et très concrètes sur le terrain.  Afin de faire vite, nous avons débloqué une somme d'argent directement pour ces actions.

Vos dons coup de cœur "pour le séisme" au Népal sont maintenant les bienvenus (précisez la destination, s'il vous plait). Ils iront renforcer les moyens d'actions sur place de ces modestes Népalais qui vont au secours de leurs frères avec beaucoup de cœur et  trois fois rien de moyens.

Merci d'avance de votre générosité pour des Népalais en détresse :
- soit par chèque à l'ordre d'Action Dolpo avec la mention "Séisme au Népal" - ACTION DOLPO - CAF - 24 avenue  Laumière  - 75019 Paris
- soit directement par internet par versement sécurisé (dont 2,9% de frais inclus par transaction avec un minimum de 0,7€).
https://www.lepotcommun.fr/pot/ce4poo3a

Marie-Claire Gentric

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Many of you have expressed sorrow and compassion for the situation of the people of Nepal suffering from this disaster.

Every day in the medias the death toll is increasing and every day new published images come to confirm that it is a huge disaster.

Unfortunately, the infrastructure, the equipment available, the lack of transportation means and the geography make it very difficult for the victims, particularly those who inhabit the mountains affected by the earthquake.

Seven days after the first tremor, large areas of the country are still waiting for the relief and there is no news from some of them. Nobody knows if there is villagers still alive in those places or if they are buried under avalanches or landslides.

Access to those villages is only possible by foot or by helicopter. The Nepalese army, with few helicopters, cannot be present in all the places hit by the earthquake. The helicopters available in the country have been first used to "save" the climbers in Everest region and the international relief arrivals have been slowed down to allow take off the planes carrying tourists.

The Board of Directors of Action Dolpo has decided to encourage small local organizations that rolled up their sleeves to bring relief to remote isolated areas.

The project coordinator, Gyalbo, informed us that with his friends inside their student association, they started relief programs in the mountains (read below).

The news triggered the decision to support them - and other small known organizations - for immediate and concrete actions in the field. To be faster, we have at ounce released funds directly in Nepal.

Your donations "for the earthquake" in Nepal are now welcome (specify the destination, please). They will strengthen the means of action in the field of those modest Nepalese who do their best to help their brothers with lots of courage and very meager means.

Thank you in advance for your generosity towards the Nepalese people in distress.

You can send your donation using https website (included 2.9% web service commission, minimum 0.7 €) 
https://www.lepotcommun.fr/pot/ce4poo3a

Marie-Claire Gentric

Rassemblement à Paris, Place du Trocadéro pour un soutien au Népal,

organisé par l'Ambassade du Népal et la Maison Culturelle du Népal, le 2 mai 2015

Nous étions présents.

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Meeting in Paris to help Nepal, May 2nd, 2015. We were there.

Message du coordinateur d'Action Dolpo -  30 avril 2015

"Oui c'est un grand événement que nous ayons survécu au terrifiant tremblement de terre - un Big one - jamais connu auparavant.

Jusqu'à maintenant nous ressentons une petite secousse deux fois par jour. Nous allons rester sous les tentes pour quelques jours encore, même si la plupart des gens sont retournés dans leur maison.

Mais oui, c'est émouvant d'entendre parler des victimes, principalement dans les régions de montagne, des  endroits comme Sindhupalchok, Gorkha et Rasuwa, où l'aide n'est toujours pas arrivée.

Le gouvernement a annoncé que toute l'aide devrait passer par le biais du gouvernement. Mais de nombreuses ONG nationales et internationales apportent de l'aide de leur propre chef. Ce serait formidable si Action Dolpo ou Vision Dolpo recevaient des fonds afin que nous puissions les donner à ceux qui travaillent vraiment sur le terrain.

Nous, les jeunes et les étudiants du Dolpo avons une organisation et hier nous avons décidé d'entreprendre des activités de secours dans des régions de montagne  touchées par le séisme et ce avec des fonds  reçus d'étrangers. Aujourd'hui, 10 de nos jeunes Dolpopa sont partis pour Sindhupalchok en transportant des tentes en plastiques, des aliments secs et des médicaments, avec l'intention aussi d'effectuer en plus du travail de secours."

Message from Action Dolpo Project coordinator  - April 30th, 2015

"Yes its a great moment as we survived to the frightenning earthquake - the big one - never experienced before.

Still we feel a small vibration twice a day. We will stay in the tents for some more days though most of the people have moved back to their home.

But  yes, it is touching to hear about the victims mostly in the mountain regions - in places like Sindhupalchok,Gorkha, Rasuwa where help has not reached yet.

The government has announced that all help should be chanellized through the government. But though many Ngos and INgos are carrying relief on their own. 

It would be great if we AD or VD receive funds so that we can give to those who are working really on the field.

We the youth and students from Dolpo have a committee and yesterday we decided to carry a relief activities in the affected mountain region with the funds received from foreigners. Today 10 of our Dolpo youths had left to Sindhupalchok carrying plactic tents and dry foods and medicines. And planning to do relief work further."