Sudbury teen leads city's Nepal earthquake-relief effort

St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School student Ayugma Acharya is championing Sudbury's Nepal earthquake-relief effort following the disaster of April 25.

The 17-year-old raised $2,130 thus far through a website at gofundme.com/NepaleseEarthquake and door-to-door campaigns with the hope of reaching his $5,000 goal.

Born in Nepal, Ayugma left the Asian nation in Grade 3, but his memories and sense of duty remain strong.

“Nepal has problems,” he said. “I want to help my homeland out.”

The 7.8-magnitude earthquake ravaged the capital city of Kathmandu, transforming the magnificent temples of his childhood into rubble, he said.

Among the ruin is the country's tallest building, the Dharahara Tower, which took 130 lives with its collapse. The nine-storey tower stood 203 feet tall.

“It's terrible,” Ayugma said of the landmark's destruction.

While it is tempting to focus on the legendary stories of hope, such as a four-month-old boy's survival after being trapped below debris for 20 hours, for every good story there are a thousand tragic ones — and these are the people Ayugma is trying to help.

The current death toll stands at approximately 6,000 people, a number officials says is sure to rise as rescue teams come across more and more heartbreaking scenes, and as aftershocks continue to cause havoc.

Ayugma has family members in Nepal. Fortunately, his loved ones survived the earthquake uninjured and with a home to go back to, which can't be said for many of their countrymen.

With its limited resources, the Nepalese government has said it will not be able to rebuild any time soon, even with all the support from its neighbors and the global community.

Ayugma said the Nepalese people are counting on financial aid to help the country move past the disaster, and to help give the people hope.

All proceeds from Ayugma's charitable campaign go to the first organization that aided the people, the Nepalese Red Cross.

St. Benedict holds a Dress Down Day on May 6 and a Breakfast for Champions event on May 7 to support Ayugma's efforts.