GHORKA, Nepal – Walking as many as 12 hours a day to remote regions still unreached by other aid, two Missouri Baptists are assessing needs and bringing in food and water on foot in this remote area of Nepal.
Michael Updegrave of First Baptist, Wellington, and Kevin Bailey of Southern Hills, Bolivar, and a third volunteer from Virginia are part of a RAT team (Rapid Assistance Team) working with Baptist Global Response (BGR) in the wake of the April 25 7.8 magnitude earthquake that killed upwards of 8,500 people. They arrived May 20 and will be returning to the United States June 1.
Baptist Global Response, the Southern Baptist humanitarian organization with which IMB partners in disaster response, is coordinating the efforts. BGR’s Nepal Earthquake Response will continue to help hurting people with basic survival needs – like water, shelter, food and healthcare – in the coming days.
“They’re backpacking, sleeping in tents, walking 10-12 miles a day carrying their gear plus emergency food as they go,” said Dwain Carter, director of disaster relief for the Missouri Baptist Convention.
Updegrave and Bailey and two other BGR teams are the tip of the spear that aims to bring help, hope and healing, Carter said. They are also looking for ways other Missouri Baptists can partner with the region in an ongoing effort to aid in recovery and share the gospel.
Right now, needs that have been identified are:
- Housing construction
- Water systems
- Debris removal
- Latrine construction
- Institution recovery construction (schools, community centers, churches)
- Medical clinics
Carter said donations for Nepal have not been near what they were for previous international disasters like the Typhoon that struck the Philippines in 2013. For more information about how to “pray,” “give” or “go,” www.mobaptist.org/dr.
Closer to home, Missouri Baptist disaster relief volunteers have been doing tornado cleanup in Tuttle, Okla., mud-out in Dewitt, Neb., as well as in Mosby, Mo.