Nepali overseas students deliver quake help

Kathmandu – Nepali students from the University of Virginia in the United States have delivered a donation to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in Nepal following campus fundraising activities.

It was the first time that Diwas Neupane has returned to Nepal since the 25 April earthquake. The recent graduate of finance and mathematics represented nine other Nepali students who together raised 85,000 NPR (Nepalese Rupees) for WFP. The money will be used by WFP to continue to provide assistance to those affected by the earthquake.

“We all felt so powerless in the face of the suffering and the devastation brought by the earthquake,” said Mr. Neupane. “Organizing a fundraiser and candlelight vigil on campus was our modest way of helping those in need.”

Mr. Neupane said one member of the group of students lost her ten-year-old cousin when a temple collapsed during the devastating quake. “Our collective action was the only thing that helped her cope with her grief,” he said.

“Gestures like yours give a deeper meaning to our work,” said Pippa Bradford, WFP Nepal Country Director. “Please convey our gratitude to your fellow students who found this concrete way of showing solidarity with the victims of the earthquake.”

Members of the group say they were impressed by WFP’s disaster preparedness in Nepal, as demonstrated by the humanitarian staging area at the airport that was finished four weeks before the earthquake struck. The relief dispatch hub played a key role in quickly distributing relief items to those in need.

In the six weeks following the 25 April earthquake, WFP provided more than two million people with emergency food. Currently, WFP is supporting over one million people through food and cash assistance.

In addition to this, WFP delivers humanitarian cargo such as shelter materials, food and medicine on behalf of 140 humanitarian agencies to the earthquake-affected communities of Nepal.

# # #

WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.

Follow us on Twitter @wfp_asia

For more information please contact (email address: [email protected]):

Seetashma Thapa, WFP/Nepal, Mob. +9851177901
Ramjee Dahal, WFP/Nepal, Mob.+9851057843