Watch From the Field in Nepal | Victims Struggling to Survive on Vimeo
Sanga Mai Tamang, a mother of five, barely escaped her collapsing home the morning the earthquake hit in Nepal.
Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, she realized her twin children—Ram and Jumuna—were still trapped inside under a mountain of rubble.
For three torturous hours, Sanga and her neighbors worked frantically to free the children from the mounds of debris, until she finally saw limbs from their little bodies being uncovered . . . they were alive but not without life-altering injuries.
Ram’s legs were crushed beyond recognition, resulting in the loss of his left foot. To make matters worse, a brutal blow to the back of his head has made him blind in one eye.
Jumuna sustained a very deep wound to her foot, which keeps her from walking without excruciating pain.
Today, the eight-member family lives in a one-room tent. They have no kitchen, no bathroom, and what little food they have will be gone by the end of the month.
I met Mendaw, a mother of six—four sons and two daughters.
Two of the children were at home when the earthquake struck. Mendaw’s daughter was able to crawl out from under the rubble, but her son never made it . . . He was crushed to death.
Eyes brimming with tears, she showed me a picture of her son . . . a handsome young boy full of promise and potential, taken from this world in an instant. It was absolutely heart wrenching.
A deep, unfathomable pain was etched on each mother’s face.
I don’t think there is anything more torturous than bearing the loss of a child or watching helplessly as your children suffer. The reality was almost too much to bear.
Sanga and Mendaw have no way to feed their children.
They have no homes for protection.
They have no access to medicine or medical care.
And no one in the western world even knows they exist.
The extreme conditions for countless families like these is dire . . . worse than I ever imagined. On top of severe physical, psychological, emotional trauma, they face a future that remains desperately uncertain.
We must stand with these mothers, these families, these communities who have no other hope.
Crucial aid supplies—food, water, temporary shelters, and medicine—must be provided immediately. Homes, schools, and churches must be rebuilt.
If we do not come together as the body of Christ to address these needs . . . hundreds—maybe even thousands—of Nepalese will die of starvation, exposure, and disease.
Many aid groups have left, and the ones that remain cannot access these communities like our partners can. No other help is coming . . . it’s up to us to respond!
For the sake of mothers like Sanga and Mendaw, please give toward our ongoing relief and rebuilding efforts. They are depending on us . . . their children are depending on us.
Please stand with me today to bring help for today and hope for tomorrow to the people of Nepal. For the sake of the children, we cannot turn our backs now.
