Here is a tale of two people who didn’t know what to do. Me and an earthquake survivor.
I met this lady Debbi (in the green top) while walking around the camp site here, as I start speaking to her I found out more about her life and how I can’t help her. (Debbi speaks a little hindi so this conversation went on for an hour)
“I am living here for 3 months now, we don’t know what is going on, we don’t know when I will get a new house and we don’t know anything.”
At times I’m a smart ass and I asked straight forward stupid questions.
“So what do you know?” with a cheeky smirk.
“Nothing. I told you my conditions, what do you mean! Look at me, this is all I have today. I lost my house, I lost my shop and I lost my income. I stay here and I buy my own food to feed my kids.
(Half of that was her ranting in Nepali, I only understood her frustrated face)
“Your own food? NGOs or local Nepali government don’t give you food aid?”
“No then don’t! We buy our own, we are on our own here. They gave us this tents and water. That’s all! Some of us even have to build our own houses too, like small shelters. No one is going to help us but ourselves.
This went on for awhile and soon it become a little more personal, and I got myself into something I never expected. Of course in my mind was how can I help? But it wasn’t as easy as I thought.
“So how do you survivor now? Like income or does your husband still have a job?”
“No I’m all alone now, my husband died in an accident five years ago, it was a public bus accident. I have two boys and one girl to raise. They are all in universities now. I had a shop and I rented rooms in my house. Today they all destroyed, only bricks left. So how do I earn and support them? You tell me!
Luckily right then her daughter, Sarita walked in to safe me and she spoke a little English, and I explained a little more about what I do and why I’m here.
Sarita explained. “I am still studying and both my bothers are too. My mom supports our education today and it’s really expensive for us to pay the semester fees now since she lost her income from the shop and rental.”
Okay then tell me how can I help you? I asked her and the mom. What if I can help pay for the full semester fees?
Right then time stood still. Mom smiled a little. Then looked up at Sarita with a confused face.
So would you like me to help your family? I asked again.
Mom was still quiet. Sarita just smiled away. I knew they are wondering why is this stranger just offering to help.
“Yes I want to help, asked your mother this, if I could help pay the semester fees for your brothers, would she want me too? And tell her I have a social project to help people… Like an NGO but with friends.
Sarita explained, translated and now mother was happy. As she heard NGO and funds in one sentence.
“Yes if you want to help we are happy. I have so much to pay for the semester this year, need money to survive and I have pay for the student loan I took too.”
“How much more money for the balance semester fees and what student loan?”
Sarita asked her mom. I didn’t get an answer. Mom spoke in Nepali and started to feel uncomfortable.
“Why what’s wrong, I think your mom is feeling embarrassed about something?”
Sarita spoke to her mom a little more to ask what’s wrong. Mom was all upset and embarrass at the same time. (I could see all that on her facial expressions)
Soon I got the full actual story as we walk a little and they showed me their house. It was totally damaged, part of it was tilted. We stood right in front of her house and continue to talk.
“My mom says she took a loan to pay for our semester fees, a loan from a personal finance.”
“Personal finance, you mean like a student loan?”
“No, from another person and he chargers 24% interest monthly. She took about 600,000 lakhs to pay out fees and others usage. (US$6000). She needed help after our dad died five years ago. She pays 8000rupees monthly now.” Sarita looked like she just found too.
Ahh that’s when I got it. Her mom took a loan from a loan shark or money lender (local mafias). And now she is stuck with this debt to pay off by herself. A single parent with no income and a 24% monthly interest on 600,000 lakhs to pay. Oh man! The secret is out.
Now how do I help? A simple conversation that started off by just wanting to help another now turned into something more personal. I can’t be dealing with loan sharks or local mafias, but I can’t back off now, I still want to help somehow. They lost everything in the earthquake and mom is stuck with a big debt to pay off. And no future income to even survivor or build a new home.
“I still want to help, what can I do? What if I help raise funds to pay off part of the debt for the education fees only, maybe for 6 months?”
Her son Kumar who is studying engineering, came to join us and he got us more confused.
“We need a new home first before we need funds for education.”
“So okay now you need funds to build a new home. I can help with that too. But you need to choose as I don’t have enough funds. A new home or education?”
“A new home please, it’s monsoon season and we need shelter urgently. But we can’t build a house first as the government hasn’t approve new development due to the earthquake aftershocks. But we can build a temporary shelter.”
“Ok then let’s build a temporary shelter for your family, I will help with the funds. How much will that cost you?”
The son explained. “I don’t know as we need to get a quote and a land for that first. We can’t build on the old land as the house is damaged and it will be cleared. That will take long. So I need to find a new spot for our shelter now, I think we have land in another town not far from here.”
Oh my, how do I help this family. Educations fees? Settling the loan shark aka local mafia, new home, temporary home, land deeds, family secrets?
We all stood there quietly and confused for awhile. Then Sarita smiled and said “Would you like some chai?”
I left by giving my number to the son, told him to call me when they have decided and I will come back to help with the funds and anything they need as long as it’s in my capacity.
Last question from Kumar. “How did you find my family? How do you know us?
“I don’t know you. By chance, just my luck.”
– Chautara, Sindhupalchok
Project Voices Of Nepal
