A placard for the campaign hung at Jahayeon
On April 25, SNU students from Nepal held a remembrance event for the first anniversary of the earthquake that devastated the South Asian country and also launched a donation campaign for the recent disaster in Ecuador.
The event was originally intended to be held in remembrance for the victims of the 2015 Nepal earthquake and to give thanks to the SNU community for its support towards the disaster’s relief efforts. However, with the recent earthquake in Ecuador, the students decided to not only remember past victims but also raise funds for the victims in Ecuador currently in need of help.
During the event, students expressed thanks to the SNU community by handing out gift coupons and also collected donations for the relief efforts in Ecuador. Regarding the event, the SNU student representative for Nepal, Prabhat PATHOK (Dept. of Mechanical Engineering) stated, “We are thankful for the support we have received last year and we handed out gift coupons that were sponsored by the SNU Institute for Global Social Responsibility. We also raised 450,000 KRW in just an hour and thirty minutes for the victims in Ecuador. The SNU community has been very supportive on the issue.”
SNU students are giving aid during the earthquake crisis in Nepal
The organizers of the remembrance event also revealed that they will hold another event to collect donations for the earthquake victims in Ecuador during the International Food Festival scheduled to be held in May.
The SNU Institute for Global Social Responsibility has supported the efforts of the Nepali students and is planning on providing further support for the relief efforts in Ecuador. One official stated, “Thankfully, the families and relatives of the seven Ecuadorean students in SNU are safe, however, the students are worried of the difficult situation in their home country. We plan to give the collected donations to the Ecuadorean Embassy and we are actively discussing with students on how to participate in the relief effort.”
Meanwhile, SNU has been actively engaged in the relief effort for the victims of the earthquake in Nepal last year. SNU Hospital dispatched its medical emergency team in immediate response to the news of the disaster and the university has also sent student volunteer teams throughout the past year to install solar panels and water-powered generators in the hard-hit Nuwakot district.
Mr. Pathok Prabhat, the SNU Student Representative of Nepal and the Secretary of the Society of Nepalese Students in Korea (SONSIK) told us more about the efforts made by Nepalese students in SNU through an interview.
Pathok Prabhat
How was the recent remembrance event organized?
Nepalese SNU students were cooperating with IGSR and we wanted to hold an event to thank the SNU community for its interest and support in the situation in Nepal throughout the past year. However, with the recent news of the earthquake in Ecuador we felt that we should also hold a fundraiser while thanking the community. It was decided spontaneously as we heard the news and we called the Ecuador student representative to make plans.
How was the response from the community during the event?
The response was much better than what we had expected. I remember when we raised funds a year ago, we managed to raise around 1.2 million KRW on one day, which was also a great result. During the last event, we only collected donations for less than two hours and managed to raise over 450,000 KRW.
What led the Nepalese students to work together and organize events during the past year?
There are 20 Nepalese students in SNU and we were interested in contributing to the relief efforts for Nepal. As full-time students, we found it difficult to find time to organize fundraisers and participate actively but we took shifts and worked together to hold such events. We also worked with IGSR and we would give them ideas to find ways to help with the relief effort. I would also like to mention SONSIK and its efforts, as the organization worked very hard to raise awareness and hold fundraisers.
Could you explain more about the Nepalese students’ relationship with IGSR?
A year ago when the earthquake hit Nepal, IGSR approached us on how the SNU community could help with the relief efforts. Nepalese students and IGSR collaborated together to brainstorm ideas and find ways to help with the relief efforts. In the end, we held a fundraiser and we also held an event with the SNU International Students Association during the food festival to raise funds. All the collected donations and funds raised from the festival were donated to IGSR as they have a lot of strong relationships with other aid organizations.
It has been over a year since the earthquake in Nepal, how is the current situation?
Due to the support that Nepal has received, there has been significant progress in the relief efforts. However, there are still many difficulties that Nepal faces, especially during last winter because of shortages in supplies. Despite the problems that persist, not all of the country was affected by the earthquake. For people who are interested in helping Nepal, instead of donations and volunteer service, I suggest visiting Nepal and stimulating its economy through tourism. Famous attractions in Nepal are still open and I think that this type of support will have a more meaningful impact.
What motivated you personally to work so actively on the issue?
Truthfully, last year was very tough for me. I had friends who passed away from the earthquake and this motivated me to be of some help to the relief efforts. I think that I didn’t balance academics and work with the relief efforts as well as I wanted but I simply pushed through to get everything done. And it wasn’t only me but there were many others who worked even harder to raise awareness on the situation in Nepal. I still haven’t completely balanced out my academic and personal responsibilities, but I am trying hard to make most out of my time as this is my last semester as an undergraduate student.
Written by Yun Hwan Chae, SNU English Editor, yunhwanchae@snu.ac.kr
Reviewed by Professor Travis Smith, Department of Asian Languages and Civilizations, tlsmith@snu.ac.kr