„We urgently need your help!“
Development worker from Salzburg calls out for support
The deplorable state of politic affairs, obstruction of international help organizations by the Nepalese government and the upcoming Monsoon rainstorms are aggravating the catastrophic situation after the earthquake in Nepal.
Tom Stuppner, from Mattsee, Austria, has been providing development aid in Nepal for years. He and his Nepalese wife experienced the devastating tremor on location close to Kathmandu and report about the desperate situation.
Even a week after the major earthquake the numbers of victims and injured are continuously increasing. The situation is growing acute. Tom Stuppner, head of the Mattsee NGO „Friends for Nepal – Himalayan Development Aid“ reports massive obstruction of international help-projects on location by the Nepalese Government: “Corruption, mismanagement and the denial of foreign help worsens the conditions for the partly deep traumatized population. Numerous villages have not received any help yet. Looting is setting in and the upcoming rain season increases the fear of landslips and epidemics.”
Stuppner, former professional soldier and instructor of the Austrian army and specially trained for service in crisis areas with position-experience eg.in Kosovo, took help on location spontaneously in his own hands. He arrived in Nepal in the end of April to support his development-aid-program in the village Lama Gaon, 40km south of Kathmandu. The first quake of 7,9 force he experienced directly in Kathmandu, together with his pregnant wife Usha and “Friends for Nepal”-treasurer Günther Kurz. In the meantime Tom adjourned his return flight indefinitely to support the people during this reconstruction period with his experience in crisis management.
„The sympathy and cooperativeness of Austrian friends and associates is huge. We were able to supply the people in a 10km range with food for 1 month. The next step is to arrange food for one month”, states Stuppner.
After a shortage of tents, he turned to building huts from straw, bamboo posts and plastic covers to create emergency shelter for the villagers. As it appears, the population is taking up his example, starting to build their own shelters in this method.
By collaborating with other NGOs, Stuppner is hoping to speed up the organization of urgently needed help-transports.
Help- and donations from Europe continue to be essential to provide help for as many people as possible.
Friends for Nepal have specially setup a bank account to the victims of this earthquake:
Purpose: "Earthquake"
Friends for Nepal – Himalayan Development Aid
Salzburger Sparkasse Bank AG
BIC: SBGSAT2S
IBAN: AT 43 2040 4000 4048 8926
Since 2007,Tom Stuppner and a small team of idealists, have put much effort into supporting a development-aid-project in Lama Gaon. “Friends for Nepal”s objective is to give a helping hand to people in this world who need it most – with love and enthusiasm.
Friends for Nepal define their main purpose in helping people to help themselves – creating jobs on location and facilitating education.
In order to decrease migration into the cities, village-structure- and facilities are strengthened and successively an intact infrastructure is being built in close collaboration with the residents.
The association can look back on quite a number of achievements since their foundation in 2007:
Wells have been built, bio-gas-systems constructed, a health-practice set up and a local tailoring has been organized and is supported with fair trade.
Presently the main project of “Friends for Nepal” is constructing and maintaining a school according to anthroposophist criteria to be extended to 200 children from preschool to 12th grade. This project is functioning almost self-sufficient, supervised by local project managers.
Previous Sunday – despite government interdiction – the “Dolphin Magic School” in Lama Gaon took up regular schooling again.
“Here the children can find a hygienic surrounding and social structure” explains Stuppner.
Most recent information about the situation in Nepal, correspondence with Tom Stuppner (mail- and telephone records):
http://soforthilfe.himalaya-development.org/
Information about the association „Friends for Nepal – Himalayan Development Aid“:
http://www.himalaya-development.org
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-for-Nepal-Himalayan-Development-Aid/110320495716746
Printable images und logos (Copyright: Friends for Nepal – Himalayan Development Aid):
http://press.himalaya-development.org
Press contakt:
Birgit Bitesnich, Bakk.Komm.
Mobil: +43 (0) 699/ 124 018 17
abc2(at)sol.at