On Saturday 25 April 2015, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck an area of central Nepal, while a 6.7-magnitude tremor was felt less than 50 miles from the capital, Kathmandu, causing widespread devastation. Strong aftershocks continued to hit the region days afterwards.
In response to this tragedy, BAPS Charities launched an international appeal to raise funds to support those affected by the natural disaster.
Following a fundraising drive in the UK, BAPS Charities presented a cheque for £25,000 to His Excellency Tej Bahadur Chhetri, the Ambassador of Nepal to the UK, on Saturday 29 August 2015 at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London.
In his address to the gathering, Mr Chhetri voiced his appreciation by saying, “On behalf of the government and people of Nepal, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to BAPS Charities for their support in Nepal’s rehabilitation, reconstruction and rebuilding.” He also encouraged those present to show their own support of Nepal by visiting the many places unaffected by the earthquake.
At the Mandir on Saturday 27 February 2016, BAPS Charities UK presented a further cheque for £40,000 to UNICEF. On hand to receive the donation was Mr Surinder Sharma, UK trustee of the United Nations’ fund dedicated to children’s welfare.
In his address, Mr Sharma drew upon the “impact of everyone in collecting the funds”, before explaining how the funds would be used in directly helping the earthquake victims. The money would go towards building educational facilities, including 40 tents for more than 4,000 children in 13 of the most affected areas, and providing a further 295 ‘mobile schools in a box’ equipped with learning materials to help 11,800 children in rural areas.
Sanjay Kara, lead volunteer at BAPS Charities, added: “Everyone at BAPS Charities was deeply saddened as news broke of the destruction and loss of life in Nepal. Almost a year on, we have not forgotten that the need to help rebuild and rehabilitate lives is as vital as ever. And so we are heartened to be able to work with these agencies to make a real impact on the lives of so many. We also thank everyone from around the world who has helped us in this cause.”
As part of the international appeal, BAPS Charities USA donated a total of US$135,000 to the Nepal Earthquake relief fund, while BAPS Charities Canada donated C$30,000 and BAPS Charities South Africa gave R20,000.
