The University of Missouri Nepalese Student Association held a vigil Friday night to honor those who have died in the Nepal earthquake aftermath. A crowd of around 60 students and community members gathered in Speaker’s Circle on the MU campus to light candles forming the outline of Nepal and phrases like “Mizzou Loves Nepal” and #StayStrongNepal.
The event was also designed to help promote the group’s fundraising efforts to support disaster relief. MU graduate student and MUNSA president Saroj Dhital said many places in Nepal still have not received aid.
“We’re basically trying to do what we can and raise some funds and send as much money as we can back home to local groups who are working on getting those relief efforts to those rural areas,” Dhital said.
Dhital said the organization started fundraising last week with a booth in the MU Student Center. MUNSA members have also reached out to different departments on campus, such as the economics and political science departments, to get the word out about donating.
Raghav Poudyal, an MU graduate student, organized an online GoFundMe campaign to raise money to help a team of Nepalese doctors provide aid.
“I’m trying to fund them so that they can do their job better," Poudyal said. "They would be buying medicines, tents and some food supplies and handing out to people where the government aid hasn’t actually gone."
Dhital said so far MUNSA has raised $2,100 and is looking to get a permit from the city of Columbia to collect donations in the community.
