Last updated on October 8, 2019
Students, faculty and staff at the colleges of the DCCCD are joining together to support victims of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal this month.
Currently, 302 Nepali students are enrolled in the DCCCD, with 221 of these students attending North Lake College in Irving where the Nepalese Headquarters of Texas is stationed. North Lake expects to see this number continue to grow as Dallas-Fort Worth continues to remain one of the Top 10 Metropolitan areas for F-1 Student Visas in the nation.
The Nepali Student Association at North Lake College began fundraising efforts immediately following the earthquake. By Monday afternoon members raised $3,000 in donations to Nepal. Thursday morning that number jumped to $6,000.
Wanda Whitten, director of multicultural services at North Lake College, says the International Center has been busy with students dropping off supplies.
“We will continue accepting donations in the weeks to come,” Whitten explains. “In addition to monetary donations, we are accepting medical masks or small medical supplies, gloves — both medical and work gloves for sorting through the rubble — and then ponchos. It is monsoon season over there.”
Relief efforts in Nepal struggle as the airport landing strip in Kathmandu also underwent damage in the earthquake. Students, however, are determined to make a difference however they can.
Nepali students Aashika Khadka and Maya Tamang of Eastfield College are organizing a campus event to bring awareness to the crisis in Nepal and encourage further support. It will feature the documentary Pray for Nepal.
“Your small amount can help many people,” explained Tamang in a Facebook post. “[It could] provide different stuff like food, medicine, water, clothes and save life.”
How You Can Help Nepal Earthquake Victims
With over 7,000 pronounced dead in Nepal, the nation’s prime minister believes the death toll could reach 10,000. In total, 8 million people were affected by the earthquake.
You can make an impact in the lives of Nepal survivors. To donate directly through your cell phone, follow these steps.
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- Text “NEPAL” to 864233 to donate $10 to UNICEF.
- Text “NEPAL” to 20222 to donate $10 to Save the Children.
- Text “NEPAL” to 777444 to donate $10 to World Vision.
- Text “Give Nepal” to 80088 to donate $10 via fashion designer and philanthropist Prabal Gurung.
You can also donate online to organizations like the Nepalese Society of Texas and the American Red Cross.
For details about how to drop off material donations, please contact the above nonprofits.
(Photographs used under creative commons.)