AN ENGINEER from Rodborough, who lived through the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Nepal in April, has been back to see a school rebuilt.

Keith Eyles, 67, had just finished a trekking holiday and was visiting Arget, a hill village to the north-west of the capital, Kathmandu when the quake hit flattening the village.

Since the earthquake Keith has been sending funds to the villagers to help rebuild the community school.

Six months down the line, and at least 304 aftershocks later, a temporary school for 320 children has been built.

Revisiting the area Keith said: “It was good to see the people I had experienced such a traumatic time with.

“The Nepalese hill people are wonderfully hospitable and they were very pleased to see me.

“They are tough, adaptable, subsistence farmers, and are surviving.

“As all the stone houses had collapsed, they have built small corrugated galvanised sheet shelters with reclaimed timber from the collapsed houses and bamboo cut locally.

“Donations were used initially for emergency food, and then to buy a lot of corrugated sheets.

“They were rolled up and carried up the hills.”

Stroud News and Journal:

Keith on his return to the UK after the earthquake

With some of the funds Keith had he also bought a whiteboard for the school.

The Nepalese Government have promised US$2,000 per family to rebuild their houses.

However, despite the fact that six months have passed since the first quake, large sums of international aid cannot be spent because the government has still not established the Commission for Reconstruction.

Observing effects of the earthquake Keith said: “There are increasing mental problems as the shock sinks in.

“I was constantly followed and pestered by a man who has turned to drink.

“I also visited the village tailor who had salvaged his sewing machine from the rubble of his collapsed house.

“He complained that it did not work properly and when I checked and I found he was right.

“We are going to buy him a new hand sewing machine because there is no electricity there.”

When Keith was visiting in October the rice harvest was well underway.

However one night out of the blue a violent thunderstorm and heavy rain hit, and continued into the next day.

Concerned about the villager's livelihood Keith said: “Such rain should not occur this time of year.

“All the lying paddy swathes were soaked, I don't know if the villagers have been able to save some of it.

“It's only part of the harvest because they grow around 10 varieties of rice to stagger the harvest, but every grain is important.

“Any rice that is not eaten can be sold to buy cooking oil, or a torch battery for example.

“There are no luxuries.”

Unfortunately Nepal is now facing a political crisis, the effect of which, many have argued has far outstripped the damage from the earthquake.

For about three months the southern border with India has been blockaded stopping fuel, medicine and earthquake relief material from reaching the country.