BC volunteers heading into uncertainty in Nepal to do humanitarian work

KELOWNA (NEWS1130) – A women’s education charity in the Okanagan has confirmed its workers and partners in Nepal are okay and says a team of 19 Canadian volunteers that had been scheduled to travel to the country next month will still be going.

The Inter-cultural Women’s Education Network group will be leaving for Western Nepal on May 16th and had intended to finish construction on a community and education centre.

But plans changed after Saturday’s magnitude 7.8 earthquake levelled much of the country.

“We’re just looking at all the logistics associated with providing some kind of meaningful help while we are there,” says IWEN President Kevin Edgecombe from his Kelowna office.

“We don’t know exactly how it’s going to play out yet. Our intended role was to put the finishing touches on our UNAKO House project in western Nepal, however that particular construction project may be put on hold depending on what we can do alternatively,” he tells News1130.

Edgecombe says the team now hopes to stay in Kathmandu to do humanitarian work.

“We don’t want to be a burden but we want to do something meaningful. As far as we are all concerned it’s ‘all systems go’ at this point.”

But figuring out how best to help in the shattered capital is a challenge.

“There’s a board of directors [with our local partner] in Nepal that we are counting on for advice on this matter. They are quite connected with local government and various NGO programs so we are hopeful they will help direct us to the appropriate locations. We may end up partnering with a larger group providing specific aid but it’s all pretty dynamic right now.”

Edgecombe says that could mean doing something as simple as distributing clean water or basic first aid supplies.

“We’re not sure, but we are going to find whatever seems to be the most meaningful thing to do at the time. But we have to think about the logistics — we still aren’t entirely sure the hotel we are supposed to stay in is intact. We are waiting to hear news on that.”

IWEN is collecting donations to help with the local aid effort, which Edgecombe says will be distributed by the Nepal-based NGO they partner with.

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