In front of so much suffering, one cannot stand by and watch…
On 25 April 2015, Nepal was devastated by a powerful earthquake that brought the entire nation to its knees. In a matter of moments, lives were shattered and communities destroyed. Thousands of people lost their lives, while many more were injured or displaced. Entire villages were reduced to rubble, and countless children, women and men were left without access to medical care, food, clothing or even the most basic shelter. The trauma was immediate, but its effects have been long-lasting.
The main quake, with a magnitude of 7.8, was among the most powerful to strike the region in over 80 years. The violent tremor flattened homes, temples, schools and historical monuments, many of which held deep cultural and spiritual significance for the Nepalese people. Families were torn apart — some mourning multiple generations lost beneath the debris — and survivors were left to grieve amidst the ruins of their former lives.
In the aftermath, the situation was dire. Entire communities were cut off from emergency services. Roads were blocked, communication lines were severed, and hospitals were overwhelmed. Many were forced to sleep in the open, exposed to the elements, with little food or clean water. Aid was slow to reach remote areas, and fear of aftershocks only deepened the suffering.
The scale of the destruction was immense: 35 districts were directly affected, 8,600 people lost their lives, over 20,000 were injured, and more than 3 million were impacted by the disaster — many of them children. Beyond the statistics lies a human tragedy of immense proportions, one that tested the resilience of a nation and the solidarity of the global community.
Nepal appealed for international aid, and many humanitarian organisations rushed to the earthquake-affected areas to provide initial relief. Most of their efforts were concentrated in the major cities, however, leaving smaller and more remote villages largely neglected — particularly those located north of Kathmandu, at the foothills of the Himalayan mountain range, at altitudes of 1,500 to 1,800 metres. These areas were especially disadvantaged due to the severe difficulties in accessing the region.
Unfortunately, the greatest tragedy unfolded in these villages: small buildings made of poor-quality materials collapsed miserably under the first violent tremor, bringing death and despair in their wake. The poverty of the population, combined with the continuous aftershocks, only worsened the catastrophe.
Faced with such immense suffering, the Sri Prema Charitable Trust, whose primary mission is charity and volunteer work, could not stand idly by. Led by Luigi Ferrante, a man who has previously headed several humanitarian missions with great dedication and selflessness, the Trust succeeded in delivering concrete aid to many villages in the Gorkha district, northwest of Kathmandu, providing water, food, and medicines.
Starting from Channapatna, Karnataka, India, a convoy of vehicles loaded with essential supplies travelled over 2,000 km across the border into Nepal after many days of arduous journey. From there, the team proceeded into the Gorkha district, identifying and assisting small rural villages along the way.
In these villages there was a shortage of everything and we were able to deliver food, medicine and water to the population, distributing all the supplies that the Sri Prema Charitable Trust had provided and then continuing its work with an endless shuttle between Kathmandu, where it went to stock up on basic necessities, and the most remote and remote villages, where often no help had ever arrived since the day of the first earthquake tremor. Today, the Sri Prema Charitable Trust continues its commitment in Nepal, both through voluntary work and fundraising to contribute to the reconstruction phase, with the aim of building a primary school in the village of Ghyampesal at 1800 metres above sea level, in the area of the Village Development Committee of Masel, in the district of Gorkha, about 200 kilometres from Kathmandu. Once completed, the school will be able to accommodate up to 500 students, also from neighbouring villages, bringing hope and smiles back to the faces of many children. On 6 June, the first brick was officially laid and a commitment was made before the local authorities to complete the work… but the road is long and there is still much to be done to restore dignity and serenity to the Nepalese people.
“Every day is a miracle… When there is in the individual, a strong will to help and to serve, miracles happen… I believe that this is the only spiritual discipline to which we should dedicate ourselves. I was told one day… don’t forget that for all your efforts to succeed, Universal Love (Prema) is indispensable.” Luigi Ferrante
