Mayur Sharma Banjara is a master’s in public heath student in the College of Osteopathic Medicine. He was born in the Kavre District of Nepal.
On April 25, 2015, a massive earthquake measuring 7.8 in the Richter scale struck Nepal. Aftershocks followed the earthquake throughout Nepal, with one reaching a magnitude of 6.7 the following day and another on May 12, 2015 at a magnitude of 6.8, killing thousands and damaging infrastructure, particularly in Dolakha and Sindhupalchowk, districts in eastern Nepal. The earthquake and its aftershocks affected a total of 14 districts and resulted in 8,786 deaths and 22,303 injuries.
While the quakes were happening, I was planning a summer trip to Nepal for a project that aimed to provide training to female community health volunteers on maternal and child health, but the earthquake changed my plan. Once I arrived, I spent a month providing disaster relief and support for Nepal’s Home Ministry by collecting data about the mass casualties and relief distribution in the affected areas. I worked in the Kabhrepalanchowk District and collected data in collaboration with the Nepal police, the Nepal army, the armed police force of Nepal and the chief district officer. We reported the collected data to Home Ministry on a daily basis, enabling the government to provide further relief and support as needed.
I had also collected funds from the International Health Initiatives, friends and other sources to buy metal corrugated sheets, and I distributed them to 42 families in Sindhupalchowk District and Kabhrepalanchowk District. The metal corrugated sheets were used for roofing, allowing families to stay inside of their houses without sleeping under the open sky. Metal corrugated sheets are durable, and the main objective was to keep people safe throughout the upcoming rainy season in Nepal. The metal corrugated sheets were distributed to those of marginalized, low socio-economic status, those who lost their houses and single women.
On top of all of my volunteering for disaster relief efforts, I still had to attend my online class at 3 a.m. from Nepal. I received support from Dr. Cyril Blavo, the program director of the Master of Public Health Program, and my friends and coworkers at the time. This help was very crucial for me in attending the class.
Working in emergency conditions isn’t as easy as we think it is or as we read about in books, particularly when you have to work on limited resources. I saw people with plenty of needs: hungry people, homeless people and even families who lost a loved one. They were suffering from mental, physical and social tensions, living in fear of more tremors. Not only did these people lose their homes and businesses, but many people also became disabled and are worried about their future.
90 percent of the infrastructure in the earthquake-affected areas was destroyed by the minute-long tremors. Now, no one can imagine when the government of Nepal will rebuild its infrastructure. I tried the best that I could to support the people in my country whenever possible by providing the people who require assistance with care, support, relief and recovery.
