Nepal Campaign Smashes Target

Wednesday May 18

A Church of Scotland appeal to help rebuild Nepal following last year’s earthquake has raised enough to build 270 homes – and money is still coming in.

The earthquake, in April 2015, killed over 8000 people and left hundreds of thousands homeless.

Let Us Build A House was launched in September last year by the Church of Scotland’s World Mission Council, following an instruction from the General Assembly to produce resources helping congregations to respond to the quake. The total currently stands at over £135,000 - more than five times the original target of £25,000.

Carol Finlay, World Mission’s twinning and local development secretary, said: “It’s really captured the imagination of congregations and people are doing some amazing things.

“One congregation said they were 10 years into a union of two churches, so we are going to raise enough for 10 houses. A small church in Ardnamurchan said ‘we have got to repair our roof, but it’s more important to provide for others first’.

“I am thrilled at the response of people from around Scotland.”

She said that the money would be spent by World Mission’s partner organisation, the United Mission to Nepal (UMN) on homes and infrastructure.

“£500 doesn’t seem very much but that was what UMN told us it would cost roughly to build a house in the Dhading, the area in which they work.

“It’ll be used to build houses, particularly houses that people would not get funded in other ways – unrecognised people, people who need to have houses that are disability friendly – but also things like bridges and footpaths and schools, so building up the community.”

The three-year campaign will continue with more fundraising as the rebuilding work starts in the coming year, followed by a planned visit to Nepal in 2017-18.

The General Assembly’s response followed a speech from the Rev Ram Kumar, Principal of the Nepal Ebenezer Bible College, in which he spoke of running to find his family after the earthquake. Rev Kumar will be back in Edinburgh for the 2016 General Assembly next week.

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