‘Orphaned’ by floods, more than 500 Nepali children face uncertain future
More than 500 children are now in shelters, their parents missing or declared dead since the August 26 floods.
Dhading; Rasuwa; Nuwakot, Nepal – As nine-year-old Ram Thakur walked uphill with his mother and dozens of others fleeing floodwaters on August 26, he looked back and saw brown water surging up.
So they started running. His mother, who had been holding his hand until then, helped him climb faster. Then, as the sounds of the swirling water mingled with the shouts of those around them, she yelled to her son: “Chhito maathi hinda, pachhaadi na-hera,” Nepali for “Climb up faster, don’t look behind.”
That’s what Thakur did, climbing higher and higher, until he finally looked back. The water was still gurgling close by, but his mother wasn’t there any more.
Some 100km (60 miles) away at another children’s shelter in Dhading, four-year-old Shibani Tama does not speak any more. Both her parents are confirmed dead.