Kumpur, – Dozens of foreign tourists are devoting their time to build temporary shelters for earthquake victims in some remote villages of Dhading.A team comprising 32 foreign tourists has been constructing shelters from dawn to dusk for quake victims in Kumpur VDC.

The team yesterday constructed 24 temporary shelters in Piple of Kumpur VDC and settled quake victims in those shelters. The massive earthquake of April 25 had destroyed all 24 houses in Piple, rendering the families homeless. The tourists came to quake-hit village through Pokhara-based Yes Helping Hands, an organisation working for the poor and needy people.

The tourists also provided necessary construction materials, including zinc sheets, nails, pipes and the like, which they had brought along with the money they had collected from their near and dear ones for the quake victims.

“Our initial purpose was to visit beautiful places here, but we couldn’t help assisting the quake victims at such hour of crisis,” Vncle Troveleng Matt, an American national. Jos Keichenbach, a Swiss national, said he felt good that he could help the people who were in urgent need of help. The team comprises American, British, Australian, French, Swiss, Canadian and German nationals. In the past one week, the team has built as many as 168 temporary shelters in Syankhutar, Aaptar, Kodar, Kamarang and Piple of Kumpur.

“It’s been hard to spend our time under the flimsy tent, but thanks to the magnanimity of these tourists who helped us,” said Piple’s Santa Bahadur Ghle, adding still many families in the VDC are staying in the tents. According to YHH founding member Dinesh Kumar Thapa, fund has been collected for the construction of as many as 475 temporary shelters so far. He said it costs about Rs 14,000 to construct one shelter.

“They were all ready to help the quake victims when we met them and briefed them about the villages’ condition in the aftermath of the quake,” said Thapa, adding more shelters are being built in other worst-hit villages.

-The Himalayan Times