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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2015-05-20, Page 10d d a Clinton native witness to Nepal disaster Laura Broadley Clinton News Record Mary Thompson knew what to do when the earth- quake hit. She sat down and waited it out. Over the last few weeks there have been devastating earthquakes in Nepal killing over 8000 people. Clinton native, Thompson, 27, was in Nepal over the last fewweeks and witnessed the disaster. During the first earth- quake Thompson was in Kathmandu at the local farmer's market. She was with a friend from Califor- nia so they knew that the best thing to do is sit down where they were because it wasn't near any build- ings. But Thompson said many Nepalese people don't know what to do in that situation. "A lot of the foreigners knew how to react," Contributed photos Chhori staff members delivering food and supplies to a camp of people who had lost their houses. Thompson said. "That was a really good place to be for the initial earthquake." Thompson heard that the British Embassy was letting in any foreigners so she ended up sleeping on the lawn as a safety measure to avoid any further damage caused by earthquake aftershocks. The Nepali people in the city were sleeping in tents in fields as a precaution as well, Thompson said. "For the first week and a bit after the first earthquake eve- ryone was really scared. Some people slept outside for 11 Victoria St. Clinton • 519-482-3528 interiortrends@bellnet.ca SALE ENDS MAY 30, 2015 Sprmg 1 Saving Buse off elected IRA lnitor'ior 'Paints" *Offer applies to 3.7L cans of selected PARA Elite. Ultra and Premium interior finish coat products from ALL PRODUCTS ON SALE! Bed & Bath 20-50% Blinds Up To 60% Off 1 1 1 1 five, six, seven nights before they went back to their houses" she said. Thompson wasn't in the worst hit area so she didn't witness much of the devasta- tion. A lot of walls came down and there is still rubble everywhere, she said. A little more than two weeks after the first there was another earthquake. This time Thompson was at her the English institute where she works. She hid under a desk with her coworker. "Everyone was starting to feel comfortable. Stuff was basically back to normal after the first earthquake," Thomp- son said. "The second earth- quake started off kind of slowly, so if started off like all the other smaller aftershocks. And then it just got more and more and more intense" Some of her Nepali cow- orkers ran which she said is common. So many of the houses and buildings are flimsy so their natural reac- tion is to try and get away. Thompson wants people to realize that in Canada chil- dren grow up with consistent safety training and that isn't the case in Nepal. A develop- ing country doesn't have the infrastructure and resources to educate people in the same way. People simply don't have the money to build houses that are sturdy enough to withstand the disaster, Thompson explained. After the two -decade long civil war that ended in 2006, there is significant political deadlock, making matters worse, she added. Thompson, a graduate of CHSS, may have grown up on a farm just outside of Clinton but she has always wanted to know how the world worked. Chhori's shelter staff nurse doing check-ups in one of the camps of people who have lost their homes. They hadn't been visited by any other aid organizations yet. Mary Thompson at a co-worker's wedding five days before the first earthquake. This passion brought her to study international develop- ment at the University of Toronto. Thompson first got a taste for the world when she was 13 -years -old during a Euro- pean trip with the Seaforth and district all -girls march- ing band. Since then she has spent time all over the world, the longest being a two-year teaching position in South Korea. Thompson left for Nepal in March to volunteer with a local women's rights organi- zation called Chhori. Chhori, means "daughter" in Nepali and is meant to represent the organization's grassroots, women -led philosophy. Chhori helps women and children from disadvan- taged backgrounds. Thomp- son said women from vil- lages often don't have enough money to pursue a formal education so Chhori steps in to help them. It works on advocacy for women and children's rights, women and girl's empowerment and gender equality programs. Any money the organiza- tion receives is given right back to the community through its services, Thomp- son said. She said that having a native English speaker vol- unteering helps the organiza- tion ask for international donors to support its projects. "They need to be con- nected with international non-governmental organiza- tions. They need donors to support their projects. The language of communication with these donors is almost always English," Thompson explained. Thompson also helps the organization by helping it structure its programs as well as teaching some English classes. Chhori is helping victims of the earthquakes and it needs donations to continue. Its donation page can be found at gofund.me/tm5d94.