von Fionnuala Shenpen, Direktorin der Tsoknyi Gechak School, Nonnenkloster Tsoknyi Gechak Ling, Nepal
6 May 2015:
Dear friends,
I am happy to report that at Tsoknyi Gechak Ling we are slowly getting back to normal. Bella our volunteer art teacher returned from the UK bringing a large supply of Rescue Remedy (Thank you Jenny & Bella), which has been helping us all get over the shock and trauma. We have also been circulating the helpful information on dealing with trauma sent by Rangjung Yeshe Institute. The school nuns have been drawing pictures of their experiences during the quake and we have all been talking freely amongst ourselves and sharing our experiences. The nuns have also been calling home to check on their families. We found a very helpful book on line to use with our younger girls – ‘Tinka and Sam the day the earth shock’ . I think the title says it all. I will post a link on our page as I am sure it will be of use to many others. As best we can we are following disease prevention advice and taking care of each other.
We remain highly aware that we are in a very fortunate position. Just next door in Chobhar village and in lower Chobhar many families including some of our staff have lost their homes and are experiencing great hardship. Aid has been very slow to reach the upper Himalayan valleys and many there are now at great risk. We are working with many different friends and contacts to try to source tents and access helicopters and to aid the relief effort in anyway we can.
We thank you for your prayers and well wishes and the generous contributions you have given to relief efforts. It will take a very long time for Nepal to recover from this disaster and more than ever she needs her friends now.
30 April 2015:
Today the nuns went out again – the digging group first drove over to Swayambhu to the village of Yi chang go near the Muktinath nuns retreat centre Throngdroling where they helped with the salvaging efforts and also distributed some food. After they returned closer to home to Char Ghare a village near Phaga on the outskirts of Kirtipur. The medical team started at lower Chobhar village giving tetanus injections and then moved on to Char Ghare where they tended wounded and gave tetanus and pain killing injections. The food team distributed 50 bags of rice, Dhal, Oil and Horlicks in Itagol another village near Phanga, which has been particularly badly hit – over 50 houses fell there. We had received a face book message asking for help as there were over 30 hungry children.
In total we have distributed over a 105 30kg sacks of rice, 680kgs of dhal, 500 litres of oil 100kgs of dried peas, 100 jars of Horlicks, 1,200 packets of instant noodles, 40kg of salt, 50 litres of water. We have given 20 tetanus, 100 pain killer injections, wound dressings and Dettol soap as needed.
Though we have meet with great generosity and kindness – shopkeepers and pharmacists have given goods at discounted prices or added extra from their side – it is becoming harder to source food. Fortunately we have reached out to all the worst hit nearby villages. Our focus is now on sourcing tents, tarps or even large plastic sheet to help make shelters.