"Our Home Is Gone, But We Are Happy"

We met Yak on our trip to Nepal.  He is a member of the Kathmandu branch. Yak Adhikari (no relation to Bishnu Adhikari) was born in a remote village in Nepal. His father was disabled and his mother was not able to support him any longer.  When he was about 8 years old, his mother dropped him off in the bigger city of Kathmandu for him to seek his fortune and his survival.  Yak did what he could to survive.  He took in odd jobs and lived on the street as one of the many street kids.  Sometimes he wouldn’t get paid for the work he did, or would get beaten. He only had a 4^thgrade education before he had to drop out of school entirely.

Eventually he got a job as a rickshaw driver.  One of his customers was a wealthy Danish business man who took a liking to Yak.  The man was also a Latter-day Saint. He took Yak under his wing, hired him for translation services and other jobs, and stayed in touch with him in between business trips.  In the process, he also taught Yak the Gospel, and eventually Yak joined the Church.  Later, he was privileged to serve a mission to New Delhi, India, all because of the kindness of his Danish benefactor. 

Following his mission, he wanted to continue his schooling.  Again, his Danish friend helped with the expenses.  Yak started back to school with 8 and 9 year olds, picking up where he left off from the 4^th grade, in his ambitious goal to someday become a doctor.  He studied and studied.  In 1 ½ years he made it to the 10^thgrade.  Today he is 24 years old and is continuing his studies through the generosity of his Danish friend.

Yak also takes care of his two younger siblings.  His 14 year old sister, Ramila, and 12 year old brother, Janak, are pictured above with Yak in the center.  He also is raising his 3 year old nephew.  They live in a one room windowless hostel while they go to school.  He loves his mother, who still lives in the village, and is very close to her. He stays in touch with her as he works hard to raise this little sibling-family with an education.

When the 7.8 earthquake hit on April 25th, they were at church with the rest of the Kathmandu Branch. They ran outside the building like everyone else and stayed for a while with the saints, until people began to filter off to their individual homes or to the villages to see how their families were.  Yak and his sibling-family returned to the nearly empty, damaged, hostel.  No one wanted to stay indoors. The aftershocks kept going, unnerving everyone. 

Members of the branch huddle outside the Church immediately following the first earthquake.

Someone then approached him and said, “I know you.”  Yak replied, “I don’t think I know who you are.”  But the man said, “I know you.  I think you need a tarp,” and handed him a large tarp. 

That night, while so many others were without any kind of shelter, he and his sibling-family were under cover from the elements because of the kindness of someone he didn’t know.

When he later visited his mother in the village, he saw the devastation and all the ruined homes.  He took his tarp and gave it away to those in greater need than he.

Back in Kathmandu, the Church began to receive relief supplies and gave him a tarp since he no longer had one.  He went right back to the village and shared his tarp with his family.

Elder Funk of the Asia Area Presidency visited Nepal recently to meet with the saints and strengthen and encourage them.  Elder Funk spoke to Yak and asked how he was.  “My family is safe,” he said.  “Our home is gone, but we are happy.”

Members of the Kathmandu Branch, several weeks after the earthquakes.

Amazing Partners Helping with Nepal's Earthquake Recovery

Nepal suffered another set back when, following the April 25th 7.8 earthquake that leveled thousands of homes, a 7.3 earthquake struck on May 12th, further collapsing already weakened homes. People who had begun returning to a sense of normalcy were again forced to sleep outside under tarps, or in the open, for safety.  Between the two quakes, over 8,600 lives have been lost and hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

LDS Charities works with local non-government organizations (NGO's) in Nepal in our humanitarian efforts. One of these NGO's is with Bishnu Adhikari, famous for his spot in Meet the Mormons. Bishnu heads the NGO called CHOICE-Nepal.  Bishnu and his family are absolutely amazing, faithful people who are so exemplary and so well respected throughout Nepal. Bishnu is a member of the Kathmandu Branch, the former Branch President, and a loving and caring family man.  We are so blessed to be able to work with him.  

Bishnu Adhikari chats with Elder Coffey in Kathmandu, Nepal, November 2014

Elder Coffey, Bishnu Adhikari, and Sister Coffey in Nepal, November 2014

Our second amazing NGO partner is with Rakesh Hamal, head of the Nepal Rehabilitation Society for the Disabled (NRSD), which helps disabled people in Nepal become self reliant. He also heads Safa Sanaulo Nepal, which addresses the medical needs of Nepal through clean water and other health issues.

  

Rakesh points out NRSD projects throughout Nepal

  

One of Rakesh's projects, JAWS, helps visually impaired people, such as this man at the computer keyboard, learn computer skills to become employable.  Rakesh is on the right.

This week Rakesh made a visit to Hong Kong to meet with us and the Area Presidency.  Elder and Sister Valentine, our Nepal humanitarian couple, are also here in Hong Kong until they are able to get back into Nepal.  

Elder and Sister Coffey, Elder and Sister Valentine, and Rakesh Hamal

Rakesh with the Area humanitarian team and the Area Presidency

Both Bishnu and Rakesh and their NGO's have been hard at work getting relief supplies out to the hardest hit areas from the earthquake. Relief efforts will take decades, but we are grateful we can help in at least a small way.

A home in a village where Rakesh has helped distribute emergency supplies.  You can see the crumbled rock homes in the background.

Many people's homes, even in Kathmandu, were damaged or totally destroyed. Many people are sleeping outside under tarps, waiting for the aftershocks to settle down and waiting to rebuild their homes. Rakesh and his wife have two young children.  Although their modest stone home was one of the ones not damaged, their children have been traumatized by the earthquakes and are too afraid to sleep inside their homes. So at night, Rakesh and his family sleep outside under tarps, like so many others, just to support their little children. Sometimes when it rains they will sleep in the car. Eventually they will move back inside, but only when their children feel safe to do so.

These are the kinds of partners we have in Nepal. Genuine, compassionate, trustworthy, honest.  May they be blessed as they continue to bless the lives of others throughout Nepal.

Courtesy of Flikr.com/International Organization of Migration - People living under tarps or tents.

Courtesy of Flikr.com/ International Labor Organization