Average winter temperatures in lower central Nepal range from approximately 18*C on a nice sunny day to a night time low of 2*C.  In the higher elevations it’s colder and it may snow. 

Houses are built primarily of stone in rural areas and of brick or concrete in cities. They are not insulated and there is no central heating. With the ongoing blockade at the India border, there is still a severe shortage of fuel, including petrol, propane and kerosene.  There are also power outages – current load shedding in Kathmandu is only 13 hours per day. That means that people are COLD. They wear multiple layers of clothing night and day to try and stay warm.   

We feel the cold ourselves and World Renew agreed to allocate some funds for more blankets to distribute to earthquake survivors. We targeted two nearby mountain communities in Nuwakot district that had not yet received blankets – Bhalche VDC (1,023 households) and Fikuri VDC (836 households). 

On mid-afternoon on January 12th we left Bidur for the 2.5 hour drive to Nuchet church in Bhalche VDC, where we were to spend the night.  We were warmly welcomed by a pastor.

While a traditional Nepali meal was being prepared for us, we sat outside around a fire to stay warm.  Afterwards, we bedded down for the night on the church floor. We borrowed some blankets from the truck and everyone slept comfortably.  

The following morning we drove another half hour to Bhalche main village, where the first distribution was to take place.  The trucks were unloaded and then returned to Bidur to pick up blankets for the next day’s distribution.

While we set up for the distribution, the first beneficiaries eagerly lined up to receive their blankets.

It seemed to us that many people were inadequately dressed for the cold. Many were wearing summer sandals, often without socks, and a few of the elderly were barefoot. We wondered if they have possibly been barefoot all their lives…

Many were wearing summer sandals, often without socks, and a few of the elderly were barefoot. We wondered if they have possibly been barefoot all their lives…

It was a joy for us to see their expressions of happiness and thankfulness when they received their blankets. We also had opportunity to walk through the crowd and talk with some of the people with the help of a translator and hear their stories. 

After the distribution was finished, we packed up to leave for Fikuri, where we were to spend the night. Then, we heard that the road was blocked by a disabled truck. There was no other way out, so it seemed we were stuck there!  However, we were told it was about a 1 .5 hour walk to Fikuri, and even though it was getting late in the day, we decided to go for it, leaving our driver behind with our vehicle.  

We strapped on our backpacks and headed down the road. We left about 3:50 pm and arrived in the village of Fikuri at 6:30 pm – 2.5 hours later!   The road was rough and we had to watch our steps, but the scenery was beautiful.

During the last part of our trek, we walked in the dark, lighting the way with our cell phones.

We spent the night at the church of Nir Prasud Phuyul, aka Pastor Paul, again snuggly warm with blankets borrowed off the truck that had arrived earlier that afternoon. 

Pastor Paul ministers to the only Christian church in Fikuri.  The congregation supports his ministry for orphans.

Early the next morning we walked to the distribution area to set up. Again it was a joy to hand out blankets and to see the happiness in people’s faces.

After the distributions were finished, we had a few blankets left over, and our thoughts went to Pastor Paul and his orphans and also to Pastor Dal Bahadur and his ministry for the aged.

Pastor Paul was present and gratefully received five extra blankets. Pastor Dal Bahadur, however, was in Nuchet, 1-1.5 hours back up the mountain. Even though it was already 3:30 pm and we wanted to return to Bidur before dark, we felt that those very poor, elderly people, housed in a large tent, really needed those blankets.

On our way back to Nuchet, our driver took a “shortcut” recommended by one of the truck drivers, but after a while, we found that it wasn’t safe to go any further. We got out of the vehicle and guided our driver as he backed down to a place where he could finally get turned around.

We finally arrived safely in Nuchet.  Pastor Dal Bahadur and the elderly folks were thrilled to receive 10 lovely, thick warm blankets.

It was dark when we drove back down the mountain to Bidur, arriving at the office about 7:00 pm – happy, tired, in need of a shower and feeling very blessed.

Harry & Greta Harsevoort
International Relief Managers
World Renew Nepal

 

Prayer points

We are thankful for:

  • Our awesome team members, who we rely on to implement the World Renew programmes in Nepal.

  •  The smiles that World Renew brings to the faces of so many earthquake survivors for whom life is so very hard.

We ask God for:

  • The final government approval and signing of our International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO) registration.

  • Wisdom and insight as our team moves forward with shelter programme planning.

  • A resolution to the blockade at the Indian border that is seriously limiting the importation of fuel, essential medicines and other important commodities into Nepal.

  • His continued protection for all of our team as we travel along precariously narrow and rough roads winding up the mountainsides.