Bimala smiled a tired smile. “Our house completely fell in the earthquake and buried all the bedding we had.”Again, she smiled, trying to put off the weariness she so clearly felt.
Bimala looked at me with sad eyes, her baby’s head glistening in the heat. She certainly didn’t need the blankets yet. My friend Annie (World Renew International Relief Manager) and I were trying to determine what kind would be best in the coming months because this heat, with no rain, won’t last long. After the monsoon rains do come, the weather will turn colder in the steep hills of Manikamana district 1.
With a baby on her back, and three-year-old holding tightly to her hand, Bimala explained that their oldest daughter had gone to school that day, studying outside because the school building had also completely collapsed in the earthquake.
After she puts her children to bed at night, she can’t retreat from this kind of worry.
Being a mom of three, myself, I know the tiredness that comes with mothering in a busy family of five, but I will never know the exhaustion she feels. Bimala and her husband have no food left, no house, and are unsure how they will continue doing the work they normally do. The seed for their fields is buried, too. After she puts her children to bed at night, she can’t retreat from this kind of worry.
“We are a very poor family,” Bimala’s husband told me, “and now the earthquake has taken even more away from us.” He is a farmer, a kissan. They grow corn and rice, but the corn plants are all dried up because the rain has stopped for a few weeks now. “We are sleeping under a tarp and will dig small ditches for the rain on the sides of the tent when monsoon starts. We will be able to stay dry, but we can’t retrieve anything from our home.” He turns to Shristi, the three-year-old who is crying and comforts her. Smiling shyly at me, he explains, “She’s tired, hungry and hot — poor little one.”
The bucket with two kilograms of lentils, two liters of oil, a tarp, some rope, and some hygiene supplies is a welcome gift from World Renew. The 30 kilograms of rice will hold off the hunger for the family of five for at least a month.
“This is really helpful,” Bimala says, looking at the food and hygiene supplies. “Thank you for your kindness.” Her smile truly brightens as she glances down at her middle daughter.
The one thing the earthquake didn’t take away is this family’s beautiful love for each other. It clearly sustains them emotionally.
Your donations and prayers can sustain them spiritually and physically. Won’t you consider giving today?