This is the story Shadab sent us last night. He has visited some of the destroyed villages and helped out about 30 families. Shadab Khan is a student from India who currently studies medicine in Nepal. Read his story.

For a person who’s been residing in Nepal for the past four years, I was ironically across the border in India when the earthquake struck. Since we were relatively far off the epicentre of the quake, my initial assessment was that it was only a mild tremor that Nepal and this area in general is subjected to from time to time, due to it’s location above the seismically active tectonic plates. I don’t think i’ll ever make a more inaccurate judgement ever. The first signs of a major disaster having happened was when i crossed the border back into Nepal and i received a call from my folks back home who were in a state of total hysteria. As soon as i hung up on them, my screen beamed again to show my sister calling from Pittsburgh. It was 2pm in the afternoon here, she should be fast asleep by all rights. I assured her too, but something was amiss; it was obvious by the tone of voices around me. soon enough telephones lines began to jam and vehicles began piling up on the roads as people rushed to watch the news on television in nearby shops or to discuss in general with anyone who had something to say. The magnitude of the tragedy was lost on nobody by then and this was only the beginning.

Tomorrow I will leave the peaceful mountains of Dharamsala behind and take a night-bus to New Delhi. From there I should be able to catch a train to Gorakhpur which is about 90 kilometers south of the Indo-Nepal border. There I’ll meet up with Shubhankar, who told me that already several refugee camps have been set up there.

We are planning to head to Nepal through the borderpost of Sunauli. Besides Kathmandu, virtually all Indian aid resources are entering Nepal through this transit point.

I’ll have to get a new visa. That might be a problem since just got one about two months ago. However, I figure that if I mention I’m going to help with the aid effort I should be fine. Worst case scenario I can just walk right into Nepal since there are almost no borderguards. Obviously, I’d rather not do that.

In Nepal Shubhankar and I are planning to either join a group of medical students who are heading to a village or we’ll meet up with Shadab. Regardless, we’re planning to cross the border in four or five days.

Yme had just left Kathmandu when the earth quake struck Nepal. We immediately felt like we had to do something instead of just being armchair activists. Yme is now in India and planning to go back to Nepal as soon as possible. However, we can’t do it all alone and we need your help. Yme has asked two befriended med students from India, Shubhankar Tiwary and Shadab Khan, to join him and together they want to give aid to the people in the larger Kathmandu area. Most foreign-aid will focus on the city of Kathmandu but we feel like the people in the surrounding villages need our help just as much.

We have not concrete plans yet on what we will spend the money raised. However, we will allocate it to the best of our abilities. Yme will keep a video blog about the events and write regular updates. Paul will give the support from Holland and will raise the funds.

But we don’t just need money. We also need good ideas, contacts, expertise, and just help. If you have any ideas please contact us at paul@paulandyme.com

More updates later.

Yme made two videos while he was in Nepal. Some of the places he filmed have been completely destroyed.