DAVID’S STORY ------ HELPING EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS IN NEPAL
For many years ICPS has had a member organisation in Nepal, the headquarters are based in Kathmandu. ICPS has worked closely with them taking a team to work with the children, the staff and parents.
Following the recent devastating earthquakes in Nepal, we made contact with our member, Self-Help Group for Cerebral Palsy SGCP, and Co Reijnders of the Stichting ‘Holland Building' Nepal who raises funds for the SGCP, to see what the news was and if we could help.
Co replied that he had been in contact with Bimal Shrestha, the CEO of SGCP, who had written, ‘ all the children and the staff are safe. We still miss one driver for the second time...But perhaps empty cell phone.
We are raising money for the program ’Help at the Doorstep.’
All the children from the valley and in the districts will be visited to see what they need. The visit is with around 50 people, all volunteers.
If needed, the family will get a maximum of 5000 Nrp (50 euro) for a tent/shelter, rice, water also.’
But what about the CP children? Co asked.
‘Many of them could not move by themselves during and after the
earthquakes. I remember one boy said; I wish I was dead, then I would not be so afraid....
Another one said: What are you doing God? We already tolerate two big earthquake and thousands of after shakes. You damaged our house, we migrate to tent because of quake. Nowadays very, very big thunderstorms are coming and tent also damaged.
Yesterday we got a lot of messages; again a big quack felt....people are so afraid. I do believe these people need some help....I think Nepali people are afraid.’
Reading this first-hand account, the ICPS Executive Committee immediately decided that the annual subscription SGCP pays should be kept by them and put towards the ‘Help at the Doorstep’ programme.
Committee member John Couglan, resident in Luxembourg, wondered whether he too could help. He knew that his son David who has CP but is doing very well in mainstream education at the European School Luxembourg 1, and the other children were organsing a fundraising day to help victims of the earthquakes in Nepal, so he and David put in an application to the Fundraising Committee asking that some of the money raised should be give to the ‘Help at the Doorstep’ project.
The fundraising event raised €14,000 and the Committee decided to spit it between 7 NGO's and SGCP received €2,000!
This is the most wonderful effort and we send our thanks to David and his friends for all their hard work and enthusiasm.
If you too would like to help the victims of the earthquakes in Nepal, please contact Co Reijnders at c.reijnders@hetnet.nl
There are also two relevant websites, the first www.shbn.nl is mainly in Dutch, but not all, and www.cpnepal.org is the website of SGCP