Watch above: A Nova Scotia man is staying in Nepal to help where ever he can. Rebecca Lau reports.
HALIFAX – A Canadian military plane that has arrived in Kathmandu with the Disaster Assistance Response Team is being used to evacuate Canadians out of the earthquake-stricken area.
A Nova Scotia man and his family have decided to stay in Nepal, however. Peter Hennigar also wants to help out with relief efforts in the country.
Hennigar, who is originally from New Minas, N.S., teaches at an American school in Kathmandu with his wife. They have lived in the area for four years.
The couple and their two sons, aged five and one, spent the days following the earthquake on the school grounds in a makeshift camp.
He said there is minor damage in his neighbourhood and that daily life, including garbage collection, has resumed.
“The Canadian embassy contacted me this morning and the American embassy contacted my wife earlier today to ask if we needed to evacuate. But I think we definitely are not in any immediate danger,” Hennigar told Global News in an interview via Skype.
“The same I don’t think can be said in the poorer communities because as in most of these events, it seems to be that it’s the poorest people in the least privileged areas that are the most affected.”
Hennigar said the local community has continued to show compassion and resilience in the days after the earthquake, which he has found inspiring.
“So I really feel like it’s an obligation for us to do something in return to try and give back to such a warm and supportive place.”
The school has started a relief fund on their website after fielding numerous questions from their contacts on how to donate. They created a PayPal account and said all money collected will be used to rebuild homes and provide medical support to communities.
“As we start to make use of the funds, there will be information published on the website again to let people know where their funds have been going,” Hennigar said.
“There’s not going to be any administrative fees taken so 100 per cent of the donations will go toward helping people in need.”
Hennigar said it’s one way the school can give back to a nation that has always welcomed them with open arms.
“It’s really important for people to know that Nepal is a really fantastic country with unbelievably warm people. Since we’ve moved here, we’ve been taken in and felt like members of a lot of people’s families.”
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