(ANS – Kathmandu) – Purna Kumar Dangol is a school teacher in Don Bosco Technical School Thecho, Nepal. For the past four years he has been teaching electricals but now he helps Don Bosco Relief Team. This is his story.

I live in Bulu, a half hour walk from the school. On 25 April, with the first big shock, my house and those of my immediate neighbours had not collapsed yet. Some weaker ones away from the road had; no one died. (…)

Before the earthquake we used to quarrel and argue among our neighbours. Now we were cooking together, eating together, sleeping under the same flimsy shelter. I can say one good thing about this earthquake – it brought us all close together.

The day after the earthquake, a Sunday, we met Fr. Jijo John, SDB. We were happy to see that the school buildings were not damaged at all. (…) We told him that there were rumours that some of the other villages had not been as lucky as we had been. He asked us to go around and find out what was happening. He gave us his motor cycle and camera.

We went to Lele, about 10 km away. We rode around all the nine wards of the village. The damage was extensive, almost total. We chatted with people, empathised with them, took a lot of photos and told them we were from Don Bosco and would ask the Salesians whether we could extend any help to them.

Back in Thecho, Father did not hesitate a moment. All three of us got into his “Tata pick up van” and went searching for food. (…)

By Monday we had news of many more villages in extreme need. We kept expanding our operations step by step, while keeping track of the earlier ones. When we began receiving messages assuring us of financial support, we started procuring larger quantities of stuff and giving each family supplies for five days so that we would not have to return to each village every single day.

In several villages we were the very first to reach with assistance. We did it impartially and without preconditions. Not so long ago they saw us only as an educational institution, run by a bunch of Indian Christians. Now they saw us as human beings with strong empathy for everyone in need. (…)

People’s confidence in us has grown and today “Don Bosco”, represented by any one of us, is welcome anywhere – by the families, in the villages, in government offices.

Since that day, till today, I report here at Don Bosco every single day as early as I can. I am “on duty” each day, though not as a “teacher of electricals” at school! I haven’t taken a day off because I have not seen Fr. Jijo take a day off. He is an inspiration to us as, I suppose, Don Bosco is an inspiration to him!

Published 15/06/2015