First-Hand Updates in Nepal + Yogesh Joins M4MK
Yogesh Satyal, BSF chairperson, told us about how Nepal has been faring recently during the pandemic and his reasons for joining the Miles for Mitrata children event.
What has Nepal been like during the pandemic?
“In recent weeks, there have been sharp spikes in COVID-19 cases nationally with almost 1/3rd of that accounted for by the Kathmandu valley alone. Kathmandu is like a melting pot in its own right and when the first lockdown got eased and eventually got lifted many people from all over the country returned to the capital again. And during that time a lot of Nepali people from overseas had also come back to their villages and towns and to Kathmandu.
One of the families we serve receiving their emergency supplies
COVID started taking hold slightly late in Nepal but now we too have ostensibly entered into the thick of the pandemic. Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Patan – the three main cities in the valley have jointly announced a curfew style lockdown now. The authorities see only total lockdown as the way forward for now to slow the spread and keep the potentially unrestrained caseloads at bay.
This year was supposed to be the year of celebrations in Nepal as we were preparing in full throttle for Visit Nepal Year 2020. Thousands, possibly millions directly or indirectly rely on tourism for living and as occupation in Nepal. And by that extension not only the hotels but hundreds of restaurants are also closed and many have lost their jobs. Schools and colleges remain closed and that has kept thousands of young learners from attending classes and it can safely be presumed the scale of learning loss happening because of that and its possible long-term impact on these young people can be unspeakably worrisome. Online learning is not widely accessible and that’s the preserve of only the children and families from higher socio-economic strata. Broadband is simply not available to a vast majority of the families. Most don’t have savings, and they are not protected by any kind of other safety net like their much educated and affluent fellow citizens working in the organized sectors.
This is why the kids and families like them need more support now and even after COVID-19 in order to help them maintain healthy lives and acquire education and empower themselves and their communities.”
— Yogesh Satyal
Each day brings 1,000 new COVID-19 cases in Nepal. Many cities are right at the edge of the total lockdown, which will take place once they reach 50,000 cases. The most recent two week lockdown in Kathmandu will end tonight. While this lockdown has helped to cope with the pandemic to certain extent and has especially helped to slow the spread and blunt the sharp rises in caseloads, many are out of work or income to support their families. For almost all of our kids' parents providing two square meals everyday to their families has become impossible with work opportunities dwindling rapidly. Although BSF hasn’t been able to conduct classes at the Contact Center, they continue to connect with the children and their families and try to be of help in whatever way we possibly can given our own limitations. The emergency relief packages are one important way that BSF is supporting these kids’ families from around the Contact Center area this week.
If you are able, please consider clicking below to contribute to this fund.
Yogesh also joined our newest event this week, Miles for Mitrata Kids! His goal for the month of September is to run 200 miles, or over 1.5 times the journey from Kathmandu to Pohkara, and raise $2,000, or $10 per mile.
Yogesh on a run in Nepal
“Here I would like to quote the comedian Jerry Seinfeld. He once said, ‘To me, if life boils down to one thing, it's movement. To live is to keep moving.’
Right now, it is so important to re-center and regroup yourself and anchor yourself in the present with a bit of silence and mindfulness and a healthy amount of physical activity. I believe that if we practice and train ourselves to exercise and regularly challenge our physical limits now, we can grow into stronger, fitter, and healthier individual tomorrow and always. We can obviously make our best nature our second nature with time and practice.
Yogesh is running 200 miles this month, with a goal to raise $2,000
The great need of our children, especially those younger children who usually attend the Contact Center, also compels me to join the event. The lockdowns in Nepal are very strict and limited resources available to our children’s families. To those families living in rented rooms around the Contact Center, it was relatively easy for us to call them to the Center itself and give away the relief packages while limiting exposures and adhering to safety guidelines. But when there’s a total lockdown, even managing distribution of rations like that takes some real planning and coordination. For other kids and their families living in other parts of Kathmandu we are commissioning delivery service companies to deliver the emergency relief packages to their homes. It is a big logistical challenge. But so far we have been able to carry it out with concerted effort on the part of everyone. And we will be doing so as we continue careening toward uncertainty and confusion for some more time because families are going without jobs and whatever little security they had earlier have been pulverized.
We are also planning to get health insurance for our kids and even their family members to keep them safe and healthy. The children that BSF and Mitrata support come from highly disadvantaged families, and none of them have insurance currently. Honestly speaking, they are like socio-economic outliers. Neither the market nor the state or the both seem to address their pain, needs and circumstances. They are literally at the margins of our society remorselessly pummeled by hardship and neglect. They are both severely underprivileged and severely under-resourced and COVID has just pushed them father on the brink. And they need our attention and support even more than before. It’s time for us to be more creative and compassionate and persistent with our love and support. As much as I am concerned and worried about the education loss this year, I get sharp pangs every time as I think of the hardships in these families and life rife with scarcity. The children need constant supply of books and stationery so that they can continue learning from home. Also, toys and games they can enjoy playing at home and some daily nourishments that are so much essential for their healthy growth and development. I hope you will consider joining the cause or donating to help. Every dollar counts!”
— Yogesh Satyal