Taunton Deane woman living in Nepal helping earthquake clean up operation

Chrissy Dawkins was in Kathmandu, where she now lives, when the country was rocked by the 7.9 quake which has claimed around 8,000 lives and left countless thousands homeless after huge swathes of the country were flattened.

Chrissy Dawkins.

One of her priorities is to help the family of one of the staff at the adventure company she runs after they lost their house and all their possessions in the village of Buttal, just 20km from the epicentre.

Law graduate Chrissy grew up in Bishops Lydeard and attended Kingsmead School, in Wiveliscombe, and Taunton’s Richard Huish College, before moving to Nepal, where she set up Adventure Kayaking and lives with her partner, Maila Gurung.

Chrissy Dawkins and Maila Gurung.

The couple and staff launched themselves into the disaster relief effort after tragedy struck on April 25.

Chrissy said: “In the immediate wake of the disaster, we utilised much-needed first aid knowledge and expedition supplies to provide relief in the nation’s capital and wherever possible.

“We also began organising vehicles to carry supplies and aid workers to remote vehicles surrounding the quake’s epicentre.

“These villages, many of which were cut off when the quake damaged roadways and bridges and caused serious landslides, are in desperate need of outside assistance.

“Many have seen complete devastation. With our wide-reaching contact network, we’ve been able to amass funding and supplies to reach out to several of these areas, including Gorkha and Dhading.”

Now that the larger organisations are starting to reach the remote villages, Chrissy and her team are focusing their efforts on more long-term needs.

They want to help rebuild Buttal, where three employees’ houses have been turned to rubble.

“We’ve already provided them with basic rations, shelter, food and basic medicines, but we now need to start thinking about rebuilding as currently the whole village are living in a chicken farm,” said Chrissy, who has lived in the country for seven years.

“I’m staying in Nepal and won’t leave unless the situation deteriorates.”

Chrissy and her stepfather pictured last year at base camp, which has since been covered by an avalanche.

Chrissy has set up an appeal to help fund on-the-ground aid to rural areas – www.youcaring.com/emergency-fundraiser/grg-s-nepal-earthquake-disaster-relief/348142

Distributing aid at an orphange.