By Daniele Piccini
Caritas organizations around the world are mobilizing to come to the aid of their “sister” organization in Nepal, which is working to address the population’s most immediate needs following the flood that struck the country on Aug 26, killing more than 1,400 people, leaving more than 5,000 missing, and destroying homes and infrastructure.
Drawing to help them forget
Caritas Internationalis has been on the ground, working side by side with Caritas Nepal and the Children and Youth Collaborative Network (CYCN). Food, psychological support and the prevention of human trafficking are the priorities.
“With CYCN, we have launched psychological support sessions. We have created safe spaces for them, together with different forms of therapy, such as art therapy. These activities are aimed at children staying in reception centers or temporary shelters identified by local authorities, particularly in an area of Rasuwa District,” explains Raju Pradhan, a Nepalese consultant for Caritas International and a humanitarian worker deployed on the ground.
“These children,” the humanitarian worker continues, “have seen family members and loved ones die. They have seen their homes destroyed. As a result, they are suffering from anxiety. Many no longer have anyone to care for them. There are many orphans, and there will probably be many more. Through these therapeutic activities, what we are trying to do is help them take their minds off what has happened and provide them with professional support, so that they can fully confront and overcome the consequences of what they have experienced.”
The danger of human trafficking
Chaotic environments, such as the aftermath of a natural disaster, where hundreds of people are moving around, provide ideal conditions for human traffickers.
“We are planning interventions aimed particularly at girls,” Pradhan points out, “because I believe that, in a situation like this, there is a risk that trafficking-related problems could emerge. That is why we will work with health-center staff and other people affected by the disaster, raising awareness of this risk.
Furthermore, he highlights protection issues, particularly for children and girls. “The reception centers are full of men, women, adults and children: they are all living together in the same place. These are also aspects that we need to take into consideration,” Pradhan says.
Winter is approaching
There are a variety of immediate needs, such as food, as well as medium-term needs, including the arrival of winter and cold temperatures.
“We are supporting community kitchens and providing essential goods to communities,” adds the Caritas International consultant. “We have also prepared winterization kits. Winter will be very harsh in these areas, and temperatures are already falling. People need warm places to live during the winter.”
“Together with Caritas Nepal, we also have a longer-term plan that includes launching both short- and long-term recovery efforts,” Pradhan explains. “We also have a much broader reconstruction program with Caritas Nepal. It includes the construction of temporary education centers and support for some people through temporary housing solutions.”
The sequence of the disaster
The Caritas consultant leaves no doubt about the causes of the disaster.
“It was not caused by the earthquake,” Pradhan clarifies. “In fact, the U.S. Geological Survey, an American geological organization, published a report stating that it was a landslide triggered by the melting glacier. A gigantic mass of earth is believed to have fallen into the lake, causing the flood. It was a glacier-related event, and the earthquake that subsequently caused the landslide was a consequence of this event.”
He confirms that phenomena of this kind are occurring with increasing frequency in the country.
“We are experiencing more and more climate-related events, such as floods and melting glaciers, even though Nepal contributes only around 0.05% of global carbon dioxide emissions and 0.08% of global greenhouse gas emissions,” Pradhan stresses.
“The changes we are facing,” he concludes, “are not limited to disasters, but also affect agriculture, crop losses and drought. Climate change therefore has a significant impact on people’s daily lives and livelihoods.”
Caring together for our common home
“We live in a common home that must be cared for by everyone; otherwise, the poor will increasingly suffer the consequences of what happens,” Pradhan warns. “Nepal contributes only a very small share to the ecological footprint, yet it pays a very heavy price, as often happens to poor countries in general and to Asia.”
This is the ecological and social interpretation Beppe Pedron, Caritas Italiana’s regional coordinator for Asia, offered.
The gravity—and even the symbolic significance—of what has happened is reflected in the fact that the Nepalese government has issued an appeal to the international community.
“For the first time, they wanted to send a message to the world, saying that we should not limit ourselves to responding to the emergency, but also work on the underlying causes,” adds the Italian humanitarian worker.
Seven minutes to save lives
If the roof of the world is melting, the fate of glaciers below 8,000 meters (about 26,246 feet) is proportionally worse.
“We know that some glaciers below 8,000 meters have already melted and are continuing to melt,” Pedron says, “The global glacial mass is declining; this has now been demonstrated. In the Himalayan range, there are several glaciers in conditions similar to the one that caused the disaster on August 26, and they could cause similar damage.”
Furthermore, the Caritas Italiana coordinator explains that the exact conditions of the glaciers in Nepal are unclear “because this flood swept away the monitoring and control systems. In any case, it is estimated that seven minutes passed between the moment when this mass of ice and earth fell into the lake, in the Tibet region, and the moment when it reached the first populated areas, causing immense destruction. This is the ‘early warning’ window that can be worked on to ensure people’s safety.”
In a few weeks, Pedron will travel to Nepal, where he will stay for around ten days. Relations between Caritas Italiana and its Nepalese counterpart are close.
“For years, we have worked together on smaller projects,” he shares. “Then, twenty years ago, the earthquake in Nepal provided an opportunity to demonstrate our presence in the Asian country, with financial and operational resources deployed on the ground.”
The partnership has since been strengthened through regular reciprocal visits.
“Between us, there is a twinning relationship, characterized by a special closeness, meetings with Nepalese delegations and projects dedicated to young people. A relationship that,” Pedron concludes, “in an emergency like this, becomes stronger, and the support becomes even more important.” – Vatican News
