What does it feel like to have your world shake? People in Nepal and northern India know that feeling all too well now. After the initial earthquake on April 25th, aftershocks kept coming. Reporters say that it's been keeping people in a constant state of fear.
(From The Guardian)
If that wasn't enough, another earthquake struck on Tuesday near Everest. Dozens were killed and thousands were injured. The death toll was already past 8,000 from the first quake.
Many people in remote villages - already a vulnerable demographic - are cut off from any aid due to the destruction and don't expect help from their government for years, a Newsweek source says. Dawn, Made for Freedom, wrote last week about the vulnerability that people in Nepal are facing, the danger of traffickers preying on people who are desperate for food, water, shelter, and their other basic needs.
What will bring Nepal through this? People all over the world have been donating to organizations that are equipped to bring disaster relief, and news outlets have provided vetted lists of organizations through which to donate. This will help in the short-term. Having basic needs provided for and help in putting their lives back together will bring some relief to the Nepali people.
In the long-term, what do we do? We can't prevent earthquakes. We can't undo the deaths of those people. But we can work to promote a world where the vulnerable are supported and shielded instead of exploited and oppressed. It's a small start, but as more and more people stand up to say that they will treat others with dignity and not exploit for their own gain, we will see a change in the aftermath of disasters like these. Can you imagine if after Hurricane Katrina no one had looted stores or taken advantage of people who were unable to go home or provide for themselves? Can you imagine what a world where people respect each other that way would look like?
We need a world that treats others with dignity. And it starts with us.
Leave a comment