(ANS - Madrid) - Two weeks after the earthquake in Nepal, the number of victims continues to rise. There have been reports of more than 7,800 dead and 16,500 wounded. The Salesians, through the Don Bosco Relief Team, continue to expand the range of their distribution of aid to people affected who have not yet been reached by relief. Thanks to the solidarity of the Salesian Family in the world, the emergency coordinators in India are sending trucks with food and essential goods.

The Salesians in Nepal continue to distribute aid and relief to the population. Thanks to donations from Mission Offices, NGOs and foundations of the Congregation, it is possible to coordinate the response to the two great needs that affect the many people who lost everything in the earthquake - food and shelter - in four of the twenty-nine districts most affected by the quake.

Four trucks with sixty tons of food and materials to build temporary shelters have set out for Kathmandu from Calcutta in India. Salesians, Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, teachers, students and volunteers have begun deliveries to another 2,500 families. Each family is receiving a 25 kg bag of rice, 2.5 kg of lentils, two litres of oil, one kg of salt, and canvas for shelter from the rain and cold during the night.

The government of Nepal has declared a state of national crisis and announced that it will allocate €4.52 million to rebuild the infrastructure. For the people, however, there are more pressing issues to think about before thinking of reconstruction. Right now they are thinking only of survival.

The Salesians have already established priorities: the distribution of food and materials for protection against the cold and rain, and the start of activities on behalf of orphaned children, to prevent the networks of child trafficking and ensure that children can continue their studies as soon as possible.

People are very afraid because the earth is still shaking and sometimes the aftershocks are very obvious. The government has banned people from staying in their homes and so the Salesians have turned the playgrounds of their centres into shelters and hospitals.

Published 11/05/2015