REBUILDING NEPAL

Tusker Trail’s Everest Base Camp Trek operations partner sent the following update on the situation in Nepal from his home in Kathmandu. Three months after the devastating earthquake, the people of Nepal are making progress on the long road to normalcy.

The situation in Kathmandu and other parts of Nepal is returning to normal. The aftershocks which continued for two months have now largely died down to infrequent, slight tremors. People are going about their daily activities, and schools, hospitals, and businesses have re-opened. Rubble has now been cleared from all of the monuments in Kathumandu and sites are now open to locals and tourists.

In the Everest region, the Sherpas have been busy rebuilding their damaged homes and tourist lodges. Most of the damages to homes occurred in Namche, Khumjung/Khunde, and Thame. However, thankfully, the majority of trekking trails within the Everest region have not been affected by the quake. The sherpas are working hard to get all of the lodges and their homes repaired by September so that they can welcome tourists in the autumn season. They are currently about half way there.

Almost all of our Tusker sherpas and guides are in their villages rebuilding their homes and repairing monuments. Donations distributed from the Tusker Trail Nepali Crew Relief Fund are incredibly helpful for our crew members who suffered severe damage to their homes. I cannot emphasize enough how grateful they are for the financial assistance. It has been essential in helping them rebuild their homes and communities at a time of calamity and reduced income after the tourism season was cut short by the quake.

A large number of foreign NGOs have set up offices in Kathmandu to provide relief and long term support for the earthquake victims. Temporary shelters have been built in affected areas to protect the many people who lost their homes during the monsoon rains, while the government and international aid agencies are developing plans to build permanent shelters. This is an ongoing process which will take quite a long time so continued donations are encouraged to help the people of Nepal rebuild their lives after this massive, catastrophic earthquake.