As Earthquake Death Toll Mounts Local Nepalese Figure Out Ways to Help

As the death toll mounts in Nepal, a cement square in Jackson Heights, Queens, has become the epicenter of the city's Nepalese community.They are urgently giving money, food and clothes to help earthquake victims — and to overcome their own feelings of helplessness.

Toward the center of the plaza, a circle of half-lit candles burns; pictures of the Himalayas and the historical monuments the earthquake destroyed were plastered on a nearby building. Personal messages are scribbled on blue, orange and pink post-it notes. Most of them say things like, "Stay strong, Nepal".  

Pralay Raj Bhandari, a graduate student, was standing with friends nearby. His group, the New York Nepalese Football Club, raised $22,221 in one day. "The banks were closed, so we could not send the money to Nepal last night," he said.

The money will go to the football club's president, a man named Wangla Lama who was visiting family back home when the earthquake hit. Now he has become a trusted conduit for donations from New Yorkers to Nepal. Raj Bhandari said his group trusts Wangla Lama more than organizations back home. 

"A poor country like us, corruption is always there. That's the only reason why we don't want to give it to any other organization. We want to do it our way," he said. 

Further into the square, a group of Nepalese women were giving free manicures in exchange for cash donations. Dolma Yolmu, who lives in the neighborhood, was getting her nails painted red while contemplating the dire situation of her family back home. 

"My house is all gone. Everything is gone," she said.  "The good thing is my dad is safe, so I'm happy about that, but I feel bad for the country — so that's why I am here today to give a little funds for them."

The manicurist doing Yolmu's nails said the donations would be going to a trusted friend in Nepal. 

Whether to send cash or supplies was a big question for many of these individual fundraisers. Several had heard Air India would carry relief material free of charge. Air India told WNYC that was true on a "priority basis." A spokesperson said the supplies would have to get to India first, as the flights were only flying out of Delhi and Kolkata.   

Nima Sherpa was convinced it was better to send medical supplies and professional help rather than cash. Still, her group, the Nepalese American Nurses Association, was raising funds to send registered nurses to the earthquake zone.  

"A lot of nurses, they are willing to go there, but they are leaving their job and they have to pay their bills here as well," Sherpa said.  "So if we could cover their travel expense and food and lodging, there are a lot of nurses waiting who want to go." 

Sherpa said raising funds, $6,000 so far, was a way to combat feelings of helplessness as images of devastation flood her Facebook connections.

"We're really seeing everything. We used to walk on those corners. We used to go to school on those corners. Now, everything is collapsed," she said. 

Sherpa herself is an RN and once the money comes in, she hopes to be on the first flight out.