Department News
[Yeonhap News] SNU Nepal Exchange Student Lights Up the Crumbled Nepal Mountain Village
Introducing Mr. Poudel, who spent a moth installing electronic equipment in disaster(earthquake) stricken region.<?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
(Seoul = Yeonhap News) Journalist Chaerom Sae = “4kw, what can probably power 7~8 hot irons can light up 80 bulbs in Nepal. A small help from Korea can be a massive one in Nepal.” Said Mr Poudel Shiva Raj last 23rd, a Masters Nepali exchange student of SNUMAE who spent 5 days from 15th to 20th of June volunteering at the Nepal Nuwakot Thanapati Village.
Thanapati village is one of the most damaged villages by the earthquake.
About 90% of the houses were destroyed and majority of the villagers live under a tent in under a tin roof.
“Before we went there, there were no working electrical equipment in the village. The villagers were living is pitch darkness without any light.” Said Mr. Poudel
The reason why he went back to his home country is because the Nepal Kathmandu College requested for aid from the SNU IGSR (Head Professor Sang-Hoon Ahn). What the villagers needed most desperately was a little bit of electricity.
[Commemorative photoshoot of villagers inform the solar panels]
Upon hearing this, Mr. Poudel’s guidance professor, Professor Sung-Hoon Ahn, recommended him as the representative of the group.
Mr Poudel, who came from a village 5 hours away by car north of Kathmandu, came to SNU last fall 2013.
He then took about 6million won, organized by SNU IGSR and raised by the students, to the Kathmandu College of Engineering to collaborate with a local renewable energy related firm to construct electrical equipment in the village.
The volunteer team installed small hydro electric generators and solar panels in the village. In 1 day, the solar panels generate about 3Kw of power, and the small hydroelectric generator, about 1 kw.
Throughout the entire process, every villager took part from children to old men.
Despite it being rice farming season, the locals moved rocks and sand, and applied cement at night, after their farming work was done. At dawn, before they went to farm they helped with the preparations as well.
“There villagers weren’t even able to properly charge their cellphones after the earthquake and were extremely grateful towards Korea for coming a long way and lending aid.” Said Mr. Poudel
However, the aftershocks still managed to hinder the process.
He said “One night when I was about to go to sleep on a crumbled school floor in my sleeping bag, there was a 4.7 magnitude aftershock which surprised me. But I was happy that I could directly help the people of my nation, whom I could only see on the news in televisions back in Korea.”
Mr Poudel plans to return with the volunteer group to participate in the recovery work on the village yet again.
After the earthquake, the SNU Hospital donated 100million won worth of medical equipment and emergency aids. The Scientists and Engineers Without Borders and SNU IGSR also donated 600 water purifying filters.
<Copyright(c) Yeonhap News, Unlicensed distribution is banned>2015/07/23 06:01 Sent
Article Shortcut :http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/bulletin/2015/07/22/0200000000AKR20150722187100004.HTML
