SOS Malta collects donations to aid Nepal earthquake victims

Solidarity Overseas Services Malta (SOS Malta) yesterday launched a fund-raising effort in aid of the victims of the devastating earthquake in Nepal. Over 4,000 were reported killed up to yesterday in the huge tremor, which has left parts of the country in ruins.

The Chief Executive Officer of SOS Malta, Claudia Taylor-East, confirmed with MaltaToday that the foundation would be working with contacts on the ground who were assessing the needs of those affected.

“We will be working with a contact from Save the Children, as well as a group of young Maltese people who have lived or worked in Kathmandu in Nepal, including Hannah Cremona, Melanie Vella, Louise Attard, and Zen Goutam, a Maltese national married to a Nepalese man,” Taylor-East said.

Contacted by MaltaToday, Hannah Cremona said that she had been volunteering with a Nepali organisation called Maya Universe Academy since 2013.

“The academy provides free education in rural Nepal in exchange for time from the parents, who volunteer twice a month per child. Since then I have been involved with this social entrepreneurship project, namely in fundraising to launch a food programme, under which students receive eggs three times a week,” she said explaining that to sustain this, the group was in the completion stage of setting up a chicken farm and that she was to return to this project in October.  

“Luckily, I was not in Nepal at the time of the earthquake but I have been receiving updates from my friends there, one of them Maltese, Charlene Grech, who is now in Pokhara helping out with emergency supplies which are being sent to remote areas closer to the epicentre,” Cremona said.

She explained that the situation was different in many areas, with most of the aid being delivered to Kathmandu. 

“Aid is now reaching Gorhka, which was heavily hit, while a group of volunteers with emergency supplies arrived this morning in a village called Saurpani where aid had not yet arrived.”

Things are getting calmer in Kathmandu and communities and aid relief workers are helping to clean the area and remove the dead bodies. 

She added that Prabesh KC, a journalist from Kathmandu, had informed her that a cleaning campaign had started and that things were slowly getting better.

Cremona said that she was expecting more news from Bhaktapur (east of Kathmandu) and Gorkha and neighbouring villages in the coming days. 

“We are using these sources to assess the situation so that we (together with SOS Malta) can identify key projects that will require long term recovery support and help them get on their feet again in a sustainable manner,” she said.

Cremona said that the most needed objects at the moment were emergency supplies, shelter, food and clean water. “Sanitation remains a top priority to limit the risk of disease proliferation.”

Cremona added that at the moment, the best thing people could donate was money since Nepal has one airstrip which is extremely busy receiving supplies and professional aid workers. 

“As much as many of us want to be there to give a helping hand, it’s best we support those already on the ground doing their job. One can donate through the SOS Malta bank accounts provided below, online or by post. We will also be organising a few small fundraising events that I hope will receive the same response as we’ve had in the last 24 hours,” she said.

Taylor-East said that the group was receiving funds to buy vital items on the ground such as food, water, hygiene kits, shelter and eventually even the reconstruction of certain buildings like homes and schools. 

“The Emigrants Commission has also offered us a container full of new clothing for the victims, but we are currently trying to find ways of transporting the items, as the money will only be used for the essential items needed on the ground,” she explained. 

“We appeal to the Maltese public to help the affected people as they mourn their loss and begin to rebuild their lives. SOS Malta will channel the money collected towards acute emergency relief and recovery assistance for the affected communities and the people who have lost homes and livelihoods,” the statement reads.