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Glad to share that MAD got seriously covered by the national and international media.
Massive thanks to Sonia Awale for framing the event so well in the larger Himalayan context with a full center fold in Nepali TIMES.
Enormous appreciation for Sunena Maju, who amazingly wrote her farewell story about MAD for the well-known global Design platform STIR World, just before landing in New York to do her Masters.
Good job of MAD outreach Sanchita.
Last but not least, watch out for Nepali national Himal Khabar with Maheshwor Acharya's article on MAD. Coming soon!
Read the articles here:
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Another awesome project completed in Nepal for these schools in rural remote areas. These students now have a restroom and wash station with sanitation classes. Thank you to Lions Club of Birtamode Lady, LEO club of Birtamode Lady and Lions Clubs International Foundation working together we can make a difference one project at a time! Thank you to all the Angel donors of the @terrymikeskafoundation @lionsclubs @sanangelolive @gosanangelo @klstnews @ksannews @foxwesttexas @nepalitimes (at Jhapa, Nepal) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co7OoqLr5p1/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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This last mysterious sunset of the year says a lot about the 2076 which bought us nightmares, daydreams, light and darkness, good and bad memories and so on.. As the night turns into morning, let's hope the upcoming year will be great for all.. Cheers!! . @panoramanepal . #sunset #sunsetphotography #multiexposure #nepal🇳🇵 #evening #golden #photography #goldenhour #goldenhourphotography #happynewyear #nepali_instagrammers #nepalgram #kathmandu #canon #canonphotography #photoasia #nepalitimes #lastyear #love #newyearnewme #2020 #panoramanepal #nepalnow #nepal_visuals #visual #cheers #me #hopeforbest✌ #natgeolandscape (at Kathmandu, Nepal) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-4qxRXnxeU/?igshid=qrosbpw8qf8y
#sunset#sunsetphotography#multiexposure#nepal🇳🇵#evening#golden#photography#goldenhour#goldenhourphotography#happynewyear#nepali_instagrammers#nepalgram#kathmandu#canon#canonphotography#photoasia#nepalitimes#lastyear#love#newyearnewme#2020#panoramanepal#nepalnow#nepal_visuals#visual#cheers#me#hopeforbest✌#natgeolandscape
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Nepali Muslims eye India's growing Islamophobia with fear
Struggling against conspiracy theories on and offline
During the end of Ramadan celebrations in 2009, a man at Nepal's Jame Masjid Mosque in Kathmandu looks pensively into the distance. Image by Flickr user @Ingmar Zahorsky (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Check out Global Voices’ special coverage of the global impact of COVID-19.
In early April, 13 members of Islamic missionary group Tablighi Jamaat tested positive for coronavirus while living in a mosque in southeastern Nepal. Many of them were Indian nationals who had returned from a Delhi-based gathering organized by the religious group in March — referred to as a “super-spreader event”.
As India deals with an increase of online and physical attacks against Muslims, Nepali Muslims are worried that their country may follow suit.
The precarious status of Muslims in Nepal
Muslims make up around 5% of Nepal's population, and in terms of access to health and education as well as a standard of living, the group falls well below average.
With a history of limited physical protection from the state and local authorities in times of need, members of the Muslim community have been victim to attacks in 2004 and most recently in 2016.
After the 13 Tablighi Jamaat members tested positive for the coronavirus in Nepal, conspiracy theories led to online anti-Muslim vitriol which solely blamed the religious gathering in Delhi for the spread of the coronavirus.
#Ramadan has always been a time of joyous celebration. This year however, there is anxiety and fear among Nepal’s Muslims because of fears that they will be blamed for the virus.@AlishaSijapati from @NepaliTimes reports on Ramadan during #lockdown.https://t.co/g0c7NbFU5X
— Nepali Times (@NepaliTimes) May 4, 2020
Twitter user Md Aasif asked the Nepali police to arrest users who were spreading messages of hate:
I request the @NepalPoliceHQ to arrest these people and take strict action against them because these people want to spoil the good environment of Nepal and are spreading hatred against Muslims. pic.twitter.com/7wtQCcmlfh
— Md Aasif (@MdAasif166) May 3, 2020
Translation of tweets:
Tejendra Kunwar: the police have sealed all mosques in Gulf countries, why is it still open in Nepal? All mosques need to be sealed before we face the worst.
Naresh Prashad Patel: No place will remain safe if the government doesn’t focus on tracing, testing and treatment from eastern terai to west on time.
Padam KC: Musa-Ban [“ban” is a curse word which means dead] is ruining everything.
Krishna Rimal: The government should strictly speed up the search of Jamatis.
Surya: Muslims are going to finish Nepal.
Nayan Oli: Mosque Madarsa has sank us.
Nabin Devkota: should bomb attack all mosques of Nepal.
Neighboring Islamophobia
In neighboring India, Narendra Modi's nationalist Hindu party has been accused of creating an atmosphere of Islamophobia. Arjun Appadurai, a professor of media, culture and communication at New York University explains how the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated existing issues in the country:
One of the key features of anti-Muslim sentiment in India for quite a long time has been the idea that Muslims themselves are a kind of infection in the body politic. So there’s a kind of affinity between this long-standing image and the new anxieties surrounding coronavirus.
The fact that India focused almost exclusively on the gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat Islamic group to the exclusion of all others speaks to a much larger history of scapegoating and inciting communal violence. And Muslim Indians have indeed been targeted through social media through viral hashtags like #CoronaJihad’.
Read More: The coronavirus pandemic intensifies Islamophobia in India
While Muslims have been marginalized in Nepal, from education to politics, Kathmandu-based American journalist Peter Gill explains that, unlike in India, the recent anti-Muslim sentiment does not have overt rhetorical support from ruling Nepali political parties:
“…religious violence [in Nepal] is much less common than in India, where interfaith relations have been fraught since the bloody partition of India and Pakistan in 1947… [In Nepal] there are no powerful political groups that openly target Muslims in Nepal. The mainstream Hindu nationalist political party, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, has focused on trying to restore Hinduism as the official state religion, bringing back the monarchy and stopping the spread of Christian proselytization. While these issues are indirectly threatening to Muslims, the party generally does not oppose Muslims in its rhetoric.
However, this may not be enough to allay the fear of Nepal's Muslim community. For the head of Nepal's Jame Masjid, Abdul Shamim:
After these cases, whenever there is news of confirmed cases going up, people are always asking were they Muslims? Were they caught in a mosque? The media highlights Muslim positives, they never say a Hindu or a Christian tested positive. […]
Muslims in Nepal are a minority and have peacefully coexisted without any conflict for centuries, but now I dread the future, and the rise of xenophobia and intolerance spreading from across the border.
As the Nepali government struggles to respond to an overwhelming series of challenges posed by the coronavirus, including organizing the return of thousands of its migrant workers abroad, and harmful testing, the situation for Nepal's vulnerable populations is only likely to get worse.
Written by Saprina Panday, Benju Lwagun · comments (0)
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Nepali Muslims eye India's growing Islamophobia with fear
Register at https://mignation.com The Only Social Network for Migrants. #Immigration, #Migration, #Mignation ---
New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/nepali-muslims-eye-indias-growing-islamophobia-with-fear/
Nepali Muslims eye India's growing Islamophobia with fear
Struggling against conspiracy theories on and offline
During the end of Ramadan celebrations in 2009, a man at Nepal's Jame Masjid Mosque in Kathmandu looks pensively into the distance. Image by Flickr user @Ingmar Zahorsky (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Check out Global Voices’ special coverage of the global impact of COVID-19. In early April, 13 members of Islamic missionary group Tablighi Jamaat tested positive for coronavirus while living in a mosque in southeastern Nepal. Many of them were Indian nationals who had returned from a Delhi-based gathering organized by the religious group in March — referred to as a “super-spreader event”. As India deals with an increase of online and physical attacks against Muslims, Nepali Muslims are worried that their country may follow suit.
The precarious status of Muslims in Nepal
Muslims make up around 5% of Nepal's population, and in terms of access to health and education as well as a standard of living, the group falls well below average. With a history of limited physical protection from the state and local authorities in times of need, members of the Muslim community have been victim to attacks in 2004 and most recently in 2016. After the 13 Tablighi Jamaat members tested positive for the coronavirus in Nepal, conspiracy theories led to online anti-Muslim vitriol which solely blamed the religious gathering in Delhi for the spread of the coronavirus.
#Ramadan has always been a time of joyous celebration. This year however, there is anxiety and fear among Nepal’s Muslims because of fears that they will be blamed for the virus.@AlishaSijapati from @NepaliTimes reports on Ramadan during #lockdown.https://t.co/g0c7NbFU5X
— Nepali Times (@NepaliTimes) May 4, 2020
Twitter user Md Aasif asked the Nepali police to arrest users who were spreading messages of hate:
I request the @NepalPoliceHQ to arrest these people and take strict action against them because these people want to spoil the good environment of Nepal and are spreading hatred against Muslims. pic.twitter.com/7wtQCcmlfh — Md Aasif (@MdAasif166) May 3, 2020
Translation of tweets: Tejendra Kunwar: the police have sealed all mosques in Gulf countries, why is it still open in Nepal? All mosques need to be sealed before we face the worst. Naresh Prashad Patel: No place will remain safe if the government doesn’t focus on tracing, testing and treatment from eastern terai to west on time. Padam KC: Musa-Ban [“ban” is a curse word which means dead] is ruining everything. Krishna Rimal: The government should strictly speed up the search of Jamatis. Surya: Muslims are going to finish Nepal. Nayan Oli: Mosque Madarsa has sank us. Nabin Devkota: should bomb attack all mosques of Nepal.
Neighboring Islamophobia In neighboring India, Narendra Modi's nationalist Hindu party has been accused of creating an atmosphere of Islamophobia. Arjun Appadurai, a professor of media, culture and communication at New York University explains how the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated existing issues in the country:
One of the key features of anti-Muslim sentiment in India for quite a long time has been the idea that Muslims themselves are a kind of infection in the body politic. So there’s a kind of affinity between this long-standing image and the new anxieties surrounding coronavirus.
The fact that India focused almost exclusively on the gathering of the Tablighi Jamaat Islamic group to the exclusion of all others speaks to a much larger history of scapegoating and inciting communal violence. And Muslim Indians have indeed been targeted through social media through viral hashtags like #CoronaJihad’.
Read More: The coronavirus pandemic intensifies Islamophobia in India
While Muslims have been marginalized in Nepal, from education to politics, Kathmandu-based American journalist Peter Gill explains that, unlike in India, the recent anti-Muslim sentiment does not have overt rhetorical support from ruling Nepali political parties:
“…religious violence [in Nepal] is much less common than in India, where interfaith relations have been fraught since the bloody partition of India and Pakistan in 1947… [In Nepal] there are no powerful political groups that openly target Muslims in Nepal. The mainstream Hindu nationalist political party, the Rastriya Prajatantra Party, has focused on trying to restore Hinduism as the official state religion, bringing back the monarchy and stopping the spread of Christian proselytization. While these issues are indirectly threatening to Muslims, the party generally does not oppose Muslims in its rhetoric.
However, this may not be enough to allay the fear of Nepal's Muslim community. For the head of Nepal's Jame Masjid, Abdul Shamim:
After these cases, whenever there is news of confirmed cases going up, people are always asking were they Muslims? Were they caught in a mosque? The media highlights Muslim positives, they never say a Hindu or a Christian tested positive. […] Muslims in Nepal are a minority and have peacefully coexisted without any conflict for centuries, but now I dread the future, and the rise of xenophobia and intolerance spreading from across the border.
As the Nepali government struggles to respond to an overwhelming series of challenges posed by the coronavirus, including organizing the return of thousands of its migrant workers abroad, and harmful testing, the situation for Nepal's vulnerable populations is only likely to get worse.
Written by Saprina Panday, Benju Lwagun · comments (0)
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Pengambilan pekerja Nepal akan dibincangkan Jumaat ini | Warta Malaya
KUALA LUMPUR: Jemaah Menteri akan membincangkan isu mengenai pengambilan pekerja asing dari Nepal pada Jumaat ini, kata Menteri Sumber Manusia M. Kula Segaran.Beliau berkata antara isu utama yang akan dibincangkan termasuklah peranan sebuah syarikat tempatan yang dikaitkan dengan urusan pengambilan pekerja asing dari negara itu.
Menjawab soalan tambahan Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Mohamed Said (BN-Kuala Krau) pada sesi Waktu Petanyaan-Pertanyaan Menteri persidangan Dewan Rakyat, hari ini, beliau berkata yang menjadi isu adalah penyumberluaran yang dilakukan syarikat berkenaan.
Kula Segaran berkata perkara itu akan diperhalusi dan tindakan perlu diambil jika berlaku sebarang penyelewengan.
Beliau menjawab soalan Ismail yang ingin tahu sama ada penarikan balik kelulusan melanjutkan pas lawatan kerja sementara (PLKS) untuk tahun ke-11 oleh kerajaan baru-baru ini menyebabkan kerajaan Nepal tidak berminat menghantar rakyatnya bekerja di Malaysia.
Sebelum ini, portal Nepali Times dalam laporan bertajuk ‘Kleptocrats of Kathmandu and Kuala Lumpur’ menamakan beberapa syarikat lain menerima sokongan ahli politik berpengaruh Malaysia, yang mengaut keuntungan menerusi urusan pengambilan pekerja asing di negara ini.
Berikutan isu itu, Kerajaan Nepal dilaporkan menyekat rakyatnya untuk datang ke Malaysia berkuat kuasa serta-merta kerana tidak gembira dengan peraturan Jabatan Imigresen negara ini yang ketat terhadap pekerjanya sebelum diambil bekerja.
Ia termasuk monopoli daripada syarikat swasta itu bagi menjalankan pemeriksaan keselamatan dan kesihatan sebagai sebahagian keperluan visa.
Kula Segaran berkata setakat 20 Jun lepas, jumlah pekerja asing yang dikeluarkan PLKS oleh Jabatan Imigresen adalah 1,747,154 orang, dengan 378,577 adalah dari Nepal, iaitu angka kedua tertinggi selepas pekerja Indonesia.
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#BeritaSemasa #Bincang #Ini #IsmailMohamedSaid #Isu #JabatanImigresen #Jumaat #Kabinet #Kathmandu #Kelulusan #Kerajaan #Kleptocrats #KualaLumpur #MKulaSegaran #Malaya #Monopoli #Nepal #NepaliTimes #PasLawatan #PasLawatanKerjaSementara #Pekerja #PekerjaAsing #Pengambilan #Penyelewengan #Penyumberluaran #Peraturan #PLKS #TarikBalik #Visa #Warta
https://www.hokaloh.news/berita-semasa/pengambilan-pekerja-nepal-akan-dibincangkan-jumaat-ini-warta-malaya/
#Bincang#Ini#Ismail Mohamed Said#Isu#Jabatan Imigresen#Jumaat#kabinet#Kathmandu#kelulusan#kerajaan#Kleptocrats#Kuala Lumpur#M Kula Segaran#Malaya#monopoli#Nepal#Nepali Times#pas lawatan#pas lawatan kerja sementara#pekerja#pekerja asing#Pengambilan#penyelewengan#penyumberluaran#Peraturan#PLKS#tarik balik#visa#Warta#Berita Semasa
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Bhudda Air Bus, Nepal 2017 Yvonne J Butler Photography www.ybutlergroup.com See Cultural Photo Tour with Yvonne, Nepal in December 2018 #photography #bhuddist #monk #flightbus #mounteverest #orange #instagram #nepal #color #travel #travelphotography #instagood #travelwriter #travelblogger #instadaily #sonyusers #sonyalpha @ybutlertours @sonyalpha @sonyusers @nepalitimes @nepaltourism #candid #candidphotography (at Kathmandu, Nepal)
#travelphotography#nepal#sonyusers#instagram#travelblogger#travelwriter#candidphotography#candid#orange#travel#photography#bhuddist#flightbus#instadaily#monk#sonyalpha#color#instagood#mounteverest
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This coming week I will travel to east Nepal to build another restroom and washing station for a very poor government school of 500+ students along with the Lions Club of Birtamode Lady that will teach and distribute sanitation programs and projects. $5, $25 or any amount truly can make a difference in my projects because 100% goes to the project. Go to www.TerryMikeskaFoundation.org if you would like to help! God Bless, @terrymikeskafoundation @lionsclubs @nepalitimes @buddhaairnepal #lionsclub #lionsclubinternational #Nepal #Jhapa #Nonprofit #education #students #schools #helping (at Jhapa, Nepal) https://www.instagram.com/p/Chi5gqArd1-/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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As a run up to the fourth anniversary of 2015 earthquake, this week's ’Nepali Times looks at the building practices in Nepal post-disaster. We are humbled to be featured in this issue, where using the example of the Model House in ICIMOD Knowledge Park, we talk about how we can build better and stronger while using local and up-cycled materials.
https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/building-back-cheaper-and-stronger/
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The idea of looking to vernacular architecture of Nepal with an aim to allow for innovation gaining momentum. Exciting stuff!
#sustainablemountainarchitecture#published#vernaculararchitectureofnepal#nepaliarchitecture#newsarticle#nepalitimes
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Mass animal sacrifice in the name of God stubbornly continues in Nepal
The practice is still deeply entrenched in some regions
Screenshot from Inside a clan's tradition of deity worship and sacrifice, a video documentary by Saprina Panday. Used with permission.
Note: The author of this story directed and produced the mini-documentary, “Inside a clan's tradition of deity worship and sacrifice”. She is also a member of the Upamanya Gotra (Pandey) clan.
In different regions of Nepal, animal sacrifice is still a thriving part of some religious festivals. While global attention is on the famous Gadhimai festival, many small-scale religious ceremonies also include what activists see as cruel sacrificial practices. Despite continued protests from rights groups and legislation aimed at banning the practice, animal sacrifice is still a deeply entrenched part of certain communities’ cultural norms.
A ‘ban’ on animal sacrifice
The Gadhimai festival, often called the largest mass animal-slaughter on earth, caught the world's attention after international animal rights activists, like Brigitte Bardot, began campaigning against the event in 2009. It is held every 5 years at the Gadhimai Temple of Bariyarpur near the Indian border.
Read More: Will Nepal's Gadhimai Temple End Its Centuries-Old Animal Sacrifice Rituals?
After mounting pressure from both national and international animal rights groups, India's Supreme Court outlawed the transportation of animals across the border to Gadhimai without a license in 2014. Nepal's Supreme Court followed suit by directing the government to come up with a strategic action plan for the phasing out of the practice of animal sacrifice. In 2015, even the Temple Trust of Gadhimai had agreed to ban animal sacrifice.
However, despite the ‘ban’, the Gadhimai festival took place in 2019.
#Nepal temple ban animal sacrifices #Gadhimai festival?
We object to th cruelty with which animals r treated
There is random hacking of animals in open space. Not all animals have their heads chopped off.
The festival management committee cannot stop the animal sacrifices. pic.twitter.com/eNbKhPlrBw
— Gnapika Thapa (@GnapikaT) November 28, 2019
Killing Field#GadhimaiFestival #Gadhimai #Nepal #AnimalRights #animals
Photographs and videos by @fotomanish.
More photos: https://t.co/2YDogjGRnv@SnehaCare @HSIGlobal @NawrcOrg @AnimalNepal @Himal_Khabar pic.twitter.com/mZSpiOHh7f
— Nepali Times (@NepaliTimes) December 4, 2019
Clan tradition and the Kul Devata Puja
The fact that the largest, and the most infamous animal sacrificial ceremony did not lead to an all-out ban may mean that it will be even harder to put an end to the practice at small-scale events like the Kul Devata Puja.
Kuladevata refers to a diety that is worshiped by specific clans who follow the Hindu faith. During Kul Devata Pujas, different clans meet up – albeit at different intervals – to rekindle their sense of community and worship their deity. Animal sacrifice often forms an integral part of that worship and the building of kinship.
“Inside a clan's tradition of deity worship and sacrifice” is an original mini-documentary made in March 2020 which focuses on animal sacrifice in the Upamanyu Gotra (Pandey) clan, a clan that meets once every 12 years in the eastern part of Nepal.
Attended by thousands of people, this year's event led to the killing of over a thousand goats in the belief that doing so would be honoring the wish of the deity and lead to the fulfillment of future wishes. Many members of the community also saw it as a way of uniting ties of kinship.
An interview with festival attendee Surya Bahadur Pandey shows that, despite growing ethical awareness about animal sacrifice, many are still attached to the tradition of bringing goats to slaughter:
We know this is not right. But this is our upbringing and ancestral tradition. We cannot change this right away, but it will get amended gradually. Everybody wishes for that but you cannot suddenly change your upbringing. And for that reason, this sacrifice is ongoing.
[Warning:] This video contains graphic imagery.
youtube
While events in this video are distinct to this particular clan, the beliefs that surround the practice of animal sacrifice are similar to other rituals around the country wherever animal sacrifice is practiced be it Kul Devata Puja or Gadhimai Festival.
Growing awareness, growing anger
Many have expressed anger at the cruelty with which animals are treated in sacrificial festivals across the country. Nepali animal activist group, Bloodless Gadhimai, carried out numerous campaigns to try and change public opinion.
There are so many animals, and many are not even beheaded cleanly because the knives are blunted by the mass slaughter. Sometimes they have to hack the animal many times, and the animals take hours to die,” says media personality Saroj Nyaupane.
This same outrage has also led to calls for an end to animal sacrifice during the Dashain festival which is celebrated with prayers and offerings to Durga.
#Dasain animal sacrifices need to end in #Nepal.
In #Kullu #India it is happening switched 2 coconuts
In #Mysore white pumpkins are smashed
— Sujeev Shakya (@sujeevshakya) October 21, 2015
#Dasain is synonymous with goat curry & I am sure few Nepalis will relate to goats as emotional & intelligent beingshttps://t.co/dOVUYHhVnG pic.twitter.com/YTflLyyMh3
— Nepali Times (@NepaliTimes) October 11, 2016
It is promising that this new mindset is changing social norms, and many locals have opted to ‘sacrifice’ coconuts and squash instead of animals.
But clearly animal sacrifice is part of something bigger than simply a practice. It is part of a deeply embedded cultural and traditional norm and holds meaning for many of those who practice it. Trying to ignore that aspect of it, will only serve to perpetuate the status quo and so it is imperative that it be taken in to account when implementing ways to end animal suffering.
Written by Saprina Panday · comments (0)
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For Nepal's migrant and daily wage workers, lockdown is more dangerous than the coronavirus
“The situation is very uncertain and it’s difficult to survive”
A man sits on the shores of Tilicho lake, Khangsar, Nepal, holding a Nepali flag. Image via Pxfuel, used under a Creative Commons Zero – CC0 license.
The Himalayan country of Nepal is facing an enormous challenge in trying to arrange the safe return and protection of thousands of Nepalese migrant workers who are stranded in the border area between Nepal and India, and in other parts of the world.
The country has been under lockdown for almost a month, with public spaces, transportation services and airports shut down and the borders with India and China completely sealed. Travel into and out of the country, including for Nepalese citizens, is restricted. The lockdown has not impacted everyone in the same way, and migrant workers and daily wage labourers are among the hardest hit by the restrictions.
In the past few decades, many Nepalese have travelled to countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Malaysia, South Korea and neighbouring India to find work. Close to one-third of Nepal's economy is supported by the remittances sent home by these workers. The government has initiated a process to track down the estimated 4.5 million Nepalese currently living overseas as migrant workers.
Nearly 500 Nepalese migrant workers are stuck at Nepal-India border desperate to get back home, as they have no shelter or food. Many of them are sleeping on the street and some are risking their lives to cross the border illegally.
Migrant labourers stranded at Indo-Nepal border town of Dharchula, UP due to the lockdown amidst Coronavirus outbreak. The Central govt has ordered all the states to seal their borders & to keep a tab on the movement of people#coronavirus #21daylockdown pic.twitter.com/GB44l16IwT
— Dr.Jitendra Awhad (@Awhadspeaks) March 30, 2020
Nepalese migrant labourers living overseas in countries such as the United Arab Emirates also find themselves at considerable risk. Amidst the pandemic and lockdown, Qatar has suddenly deported hundreds of Nepalese without any backup support, while thousands of workers are still living in the camps of Qatar without jobs and proper shelter.
Chandar Kumar from the Kathmandu Post tweeted:
The human rights advocacy group has accused the Qatari authorities of rounding and expelling dozens of migrant workers after telling them that they were being taken to be tested for Covid-19 in March.
I reported. @amnesty @amnestynepal
https://t.co/FAP6VIW9NA
— Chandan Kumar Mandal
(@CK_Mandal) April 16, 2020
In addition, more than 655 COVID-19 cases are Nepalese overseas migrant workers. Many migrant labourers are seeking the government’s support to return home, but the government of Nepal is neither willing nor ready to facilitate their safe return.
Migrant workers in the Middle East live in fear of more layoffs and deportation. Journalist Dewan RAI writes on Twitter that:
An impending challenge for Nepal govt to bring home Nepali migrant workers from the Middle East. The UAE wants migrant workers to be repatriated and considering quota for workers from countries that refuse to repatriate their citizens @NepaliTimes reports https://t.co/K36bmankrC https://t.co/gJ3RYfASEa
— Dewan RAI (@rdewan) April 14, 2020
In an op-ed on the Nepalese news site My Republica, social scientists Prakash Bhattarai and Rajendra Senchurey outlined the challenges they believe Nepal will face if many migrant workers eventually returned home as a result of the fallout from COVID-19:
A growing negative narrative on migration and migrants is identified as another significant impact with the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. [..] It is quite important to create new narratives to challenge these stigmatizing narratives. [..] Post-COVID-19 development policy should also emphasize making use of the knowledge and skills that returnee migrants have brought along.
According to reports, since the lockdown thousands of people, including stranded students and jobless day-labourers, have been returning to their villages from big cities like Kathmandu, Pokhara and Chitwan. Many domestic migrant workers were faced with a dilemma as transportation services were shut down, making it difficult for them to return to their home districts. Many started making the journey on foot.
#covid_19 #covid19nepal Read the story of 17 laborers who walked 575 KM from Kathmandu to Rajapur, Bardiya after the lockdown. #Nepal #coronavirus #CivActs #campaign #Bulletin #Labor #issues #Nepallockdown pic.twitter.com/aIyNii5hAM
— Civic Action Teams (@CivActs) April 16, 2020
Record Nepal, an independent digital publication based in Kathmandu, published an interview with a migrant construction worker who was asked why his fellow workers were fleeing the capital:
Why are migrants fleeing Kathmandu? #lockdownspecial
Rohinda Manda, a construction worker from Sarlahi #Interviews #TheRecordbites pic.twitter.com/xDEDWl2puL
— The Record (@recordnepal) April 13, 2020
Rohinda Manda: We have no jobs since the lockdown began, and it’s extending every week. We are staying at home, running out of food and money. We don’t have any other friends or support systems like in the village. The situation is very uncertain and it’s difficult for us to survive in Kathmandu. Therefore, we are obliged to walk home on foot even though the journey is long and difficult. We are in a group of 10 friends going in the same direction. It will take at least 4 days to reach home. But we will slowly make our way home because there’s no option left for us.
Record Nepal also published the story of one man who died while making the journey back home on foot.
#Nepal‘s first #COVID19 related death – not because of the virus but because of desperation. Important read @recordnepal. Nepali state has once again failed its most vulnerable citizens! https://t.co/D53YTV3rD7
— Subina Shrestha (@ShresthaSubina) April 17, 2020
On April 17, 2020, the Supreme Court of Nepal passed an order mandating the government to repatriate vulnerable migrant workers abroad and to arrange free transportation for all citizens heading home to ensure they travelled safely. The order included a requirement that people suspected of having COVID-19 be quarantined before they are sent home.
Nepal Supreme Court tells govt to use its embassies to identify Nepali migrants working abroad to ensure they are getting COVID-19 treatment per WHO rules, w/o discrimination, and to bring back any vulnerable migrant workers: https://t.co/VsanEhIPUd
— ILAWnetwork (@ILAW_Network) April 17, 2020
It may be too soon to determine and how efficiently the government implements these mandates, given the country is under lockdown.
According to the statistics, since the first case of COVID-19 was detected on January 24 Nepal has had only 30 confirmed cases and two recoveries at the time of writing. The list includes 13 people who had recently returned from countries including the UK, certain parts of Europe and Dubai, and 12 Indian nationals who came to Nepal to attend a religious conference. While the number of cases reported inside Nepal is relatively small, there is still fear of an outbreak as there are concerns that the testing taking place in the country is insufficient.
The Nepalese government is focusing primarily on immediate health needs, but in order to save the country from a larger socio-economic crisis, it should also address the issues of vulnerable citizens. The government should also be preparing long-term strategies in consultation with experts for how the country can be released from the current lockdown.
Written by Benju Lwagun · comments (0)
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The @terrymikeskafoundation mission projects made the Nepal 🇳🇵 news. @usembassynepal @shortdane @nepalitimes @abilenereporternews @klstnews @bbcnews @ksannews @sanangelolive @gosanangelo @goodfellow_afb17trw (at Nepal) https://www.instagram.com/p/B52UQ5xA-Eg/?igshid=1lsxvghbpamw1
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Working with the medical doctors and administrators to do a productive healthcare project east Nepal. Doing to most good fore the most people! @nepalitimes @usembassynepal @unicefnepal #health #poverty #humanitarian #children #nepal #aid #care #education #medical #doctors #helpingothers #giving (at Jhapa, Nepal) https://www.instagram.com/p/B00kkujA2ur/?igshid=14q0d1w6rapzh
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As we adjust to the new year and think about our goals for 2020, it’s also a good time for us to reflect on our blessings and just how fortunate we are. Terry Mikeska, a local philanthropist and volunteer, knows how true that statement is, having recently come back from his 61st mission trip to Nepal. Mikeska, along with his sister, Rebekah Ocker went to Nepal in November of 2019. Having been a nurse and in the health industry for many years, Ocker had expressed her interest in joining her brother on his next trip to Nepal. This information ended up being shared with the CEO of HMS, the company shenow works for in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. In response, the president and CEO, Bill Lucia, generously surprised them by personally funding the entire two health mission portions of the trip. Together, they spent eight days in the eastern side of Nepal where they completed six big projects, working diligently to fulfil important needs every single day. From delivering rice pots and much needed supplies, to sharing water purification systems and visiting the orphanages where they provided clothing, personal care products and knitted items, Mikeska and Ocker were driven to help as many people as possible in the poverty stricken and more remote areas of the country. #sanangelo #sanangelo @cnn @klstnews @ksannews #nonprofit #nonprofitorganization #nepal #jhapa #education #children #helpingothers @terrymikeskafoundation @nepalitimes (at Birtabazar,Jhapa) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7TiiGsgQA_/?igshid=s5z9v3d4vl6u
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Check out this article from San Angelo Standard-Times: Mikeska Foundation marks major milestone during most recent trip @terrymikeskafoundation @abilenereporternews @midlandreportertelegram @nepalitimes @liveofnepal.news @cnnheroes @cnnphilippines @bbchindi #news #nepal #manila #education #mission #helpingothers #nepali #jhapa #kathmandu (at Nepal)
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