20 Days Since Nepal's Devastating Floods: Fundraising and Strengthened Climate Crisis Education

[Anchor]

It has been 20 days since massive floods struck Nepal last month. To support Nepali international students who have no choice but to watch the devastating disaster unfold through the news, members of a university community in Cheonan have launched a disaster relief fundraising campaign.

Park Beom-sik from TJB reports.

[Reporter]

Last month, a massive glacier collapse in Nepal triggered catastrophic floods.

The swollen waters swept through nearby villages, claiming the lives of more than 1,400 people.

Even 20 days later, some 5,000 people remain missing.

[Dhakal Sila / Nepali International Student at Baekseok University: They said that everyone close to their friends just vanished. So hearing stories like that makes my heart heavy...]

With as many as 80,000 people displaced, international students far away from their homeland feel helpless and frustrated, able to do little more than worry as they witness the horrific situation.

[Sudip / Nepali International Student at Baekseok University: Many people passed away, and because of the massive damage, so many people are in deep pain. I felt like all Nepali people are our family. So it was very hard.]

To comfort these Nepali students, the university delivered relief supplies and initiated a fundraising campaign joined by faculty members and students.

[Kang Seong-hwan / Student Union President of Baekseok University: Since Baekseok University's core values are truth, service, and love, we prepared this with the hope of conveying a little bit of comfort and hope through this small event.]

Taking this disaster as a turning point, the university also decided to strengthen climate crisis education.

Stating that disasters caused by the climate crisis are not just problems of a distant country, the university plans to establish new general education courses covering climate change and integrate ESG into each major.

[Song Ki-shin / President of Baekseok University: The climate crisis is no longer a misfortune of a distant country nor a warning of a distant future. We will make environment and sustainability a mandatory general education course and integrate ESG into each major.]

The university plans to deliver the donations collected by students and faculty members to the Embassy of Nepal.

(Video Journalist: Kim Kyoung-han, TJB)

Park Beom-sik, TJB
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.