To go to latest correspondence with Nepal go here
We had been relieved to hear that the village and school we support in Nepal had only slight damage from the initial earthquake but on Friday 15th May we received the grim news that the second quake had devastated the village and rendered the school buildings unsafe. Modern communications are such that the local TWOAT contact in the village, Sherpa Rudra, managed to send an email on Friday May 15th– this is an extract using his spelling: “We have had second one bigest earthquake. And by that earthquake it destroyed a lot of houses, school monastery and many more so and our school building also totally destroyed. It did not collapsed but it’s moved down like bend also some room’s wall fall down some room had big cracked.” We told Rudra he could use the £1300 we had already sent, ready to pay for an additional teacher’s salary, in whatever way was needed to alleviate the village’s problems. He sent a further email on Saturday 16th May giving extra details about the conditions: “….meanwhile according to your advice I will help some of my villagers with money that I have to use for second teacher which I have got from TWOAT. Though we don’t have temporary tents nowadays we are spending our worsful time in small tarpaulin we have been staying in tarpaulin since three weeks. The wheather is becoming bad day by day sometime too much windy and raining sometimes hevey raining because the monsoon season will be starts by June first week there are more possibilities to have big landslide hear in Kerung also so we are afraiding very much.”
This is the school how it was last year
This is a picture of some of the children who attend the school:
This picture was taken earlier this year showing building work in progress for the new classroom for which TWOAT would fund the teacher.
This is a picture showing walls now broken and falling inwards.
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Further details from Sherpa Rudra sent Saturday May 16th :
My house also cracked In everypart of wall. its not in good condition what shall I do? There is no way to solutions for it.I do have electricity and water.yes indeed the government policeman and village development secretary arrived here at first time earthquake but each of
everyone is not getting enough help by the government.Most of the effected people are helpless. Our vegetables are maize are some safe for sometimes some peoples are injured and they have got some treatment from local medical but every hurt is broken,every eyes has tear this is very shockfull situations.
That’s all for now.
I will write to you again soon.
Sincerely yours
Rudra
Message from Rudra received Sat May 23rd after we told him we would set up an appeal for his village on our web site and in newspapers.
Thank you very much for your kindly helpful message. We are still suffering by the quake jolt everyday we all are staying in tarpaulin.every days the quake aftershocks so that we all are in bad situations.
By the way by some TWOAT money I manage some tarpaulin, blanket, and some food by that money it’s help a lot for us to relief for victims.
Thank you very much for your appeal also money from TWOAT .I know it help very very much if we get helping money then definitely we want built temporary shelters as well buy or necessary things there is no problem for transportation……yes indeed the government arrived but only very little relief helping things…..
Your sincerely
Rudra
Further message from Rudra Tuesday May 26th addressed to his contact on our committee Dick Shelley and Dick’s wife Rosaleen whom he met whilst acting as a guide for them on a trek in Nepal. Namaste is a word of greeting.
Dear Dick,Rosaleen and all the members of TWOAT Namaste
Thank you very much for your unforgotable help. Its such a great great help.I know we know we never ever forget in our life it really feel us that you are giving new life for all the people who have effected by earthquack .
By those peoples they are sending to you all who put there hands together in bad situations.
Yes indeed, the quakes are calming down but still its not stopped. The seasons is falling in to the rainy season but in a day or night its coming very dangerous windy and rain. It’s also very much effected for the victims of earthquake peoples. It’s very hard to stay in tarpaulin .
Although I also need help for to buy shelter as well as food managed for my family . Because I have to manage as soon as early before began the monsoon.I hope you can help for this too.
Because it is going to be my challenging life.
About the school that is going to open after four days. The school building is unsafe only for four room because it has fall dawn the wall.
So we are not going to use these room besides this teacher are ok.
That’s all for now. Once again thank you very much for your help.
Your sincerely
Rudra.
We were concerned that our contact Rudra might not want to be responsible on his own for deciding who should be helped from the money we had sent. Previously our funding was for specific purposes at the school such as paying a teacher’s wages. We sent him an email asking about the village structure; whether it had a headman or committee of elders; and whether he would prefer us to suggest a priority order for those needing help? We also asked when the money we said he could divert from paying a teacher would be needed for the original purpose? The following was his answer received on June 5th:
Dear Dick and Rosaleen as well as all the members of TWOAT many many Namaste from me rudra also by Kerung peoples.
Thank you very much for your nice email we are very very glad that you and TWOAT helped a lot for us we never forget your help in our critical condition life. I know and we know that it was really difficult for to manage things in horrible conditions but we brought the things from the market by money than we distribute all of them equal. We brought tarpaulin, blanket , rice ,oil, dal. We have own village management committee.
Yes it is , it is really hard to do fair but by the community we made the rules with categories in the victims peoples than we distributed to them all. There is a leader in our community. Among of them I am a second leader.
Most of the important things that we had to manage tarpaulin. Otherwise each of everyone was staying outside the house. So that we did so on. There are more than one hundred fifty five house hold in our village. Although we have more 155 adults and less than that children; among of six adults were injured. Nowadays they are getting better than last time. And eighty three houses family are living in open because there homes are unsafe.
As far as for the school I have to pay for second teacher as soon early so please if you provide soon than I could pay soon. Our school building is totally major damaged so we are under construction temporary building for students. The children are attending at school but not lessons in class. May be by coming up next week the lessons will be run.
That’s all for now.
Your faithful
Rudra.
We asked Rudra to give us some more details of the way he has spent the £2300 in emergency relief we sent to him and also whether he yet had any idea of the re-building cost for the school.
He replied on July 1st telling us that the mobile phone he uses to email us had a fault but it is now working again.
He told us that he had purchased 150 tarpaulins/tents and these had cost about £13 each – the actual total was £1875. The rest of the £2300 had gone on food and oil for families who had lost their stocks.
He told us that the new classroom they had added to the school at the beginning of the year cost about £10,000. The school was probably about 4 times the size of this extension. He told us the Monsoon has arrived. Looking at the weather forecast for Kathmandu I see steady rain with lightning for the next 10 days!!

Monsoon and temporary tarpaulin shelters
He has most recently written to us concerning the problems caused by the Monsoon rains. These have resulted in mudslides causing further damage to the village. His own mother’s house has been affected by this.
We have sent another £1,300 from funds donated to replace the teacher’s salary which we diverted to provide some immediate help.

Pupils using temporary classroom under tarpaulins
This is an extract from an email received from Rudra on Nov 13th. We have added some italicized text to clarify what Rudra is saying. For example we asked him to send us an account of how the re-building money we send has been spent about every 6 to 8 weeks and gave him a sample format.
Dear Dick and all members of TWOAT Namaste (greetings) from me Rudra as well as Kerung peoples.
Thank you very very much for your such a kindfull or helpfull message. All of our Kerung peoples are doing well except my mother. My mother is still doing so so….. that’s why I couldn’t write to you email before so far. (Rudra’s Mother’s house was damaged in a subsequent mudslide)
Thank you very much for raised money the rebuilding of our school. It is such unforgettable help.
I will fully responsible to keep careful account in my phone or computer. I will spend all money according to your suggestion which I will follow TWOAT instruction and sample (reporting format).
I will send you all the things which you need from us like photos and others.
As far as there is not any other organization that would like(ly) to help for us. This is only I know the government of Nepal which they should have to rebuilt our school but I heard that more than 23000 school has been fully damaged by earthquake our government does not have that much money to rebuild soon all these schools.
How much money that we need which about approximately amount I wrote to you in my last email (£10 – 15,000). Definitely no doubt our villager will help to rebuild our school that they can help forever. Yes indeed it is really big contribution for Kerung children by Tadworth.
I have looked your photos which you have been doing presentation and participated
peoples. (We sent Rudra pictures of Dick talking about Nepal to our Annual Meeting)
I like it very much it’s such a kindly and Smiley face that I saw on your photos.
That’s all for now, once again thank you very much for all TWOAT.
Sincerely yours
Rudra.
Much more will be needed to rebuild the school – we have set an initial target of £10- !5,000. If you want to help as well, you can donate either directly with a cheque to our Treasurer, John Tedder, at 103 Shelvers Way, Tadworth, KT20 5QQ or via our VirginMoneyGiving site here.