Jamuna and Ganga
Facing life after Nepal’s earthquakes, together
Nine-year-old twin sisters Jamuna and Ganga Nepali survived the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on 25 April and the 7.3-magnitude quake that followed on 12 May.
(Left-right) Jamuna and Ganga stand with their parents and 4-year-old brother, Anuj, in the area near their now-destroyed apartment, in the town of Charikot, Dolakha District, the epicenter of the 12 May quake.
On a windswept ridge above Charikot, the girls and their family have taken shelter among other earthquake-displaced people in an encampment where tents are serving as temporary homes. (Left) Jamuna plays with other children living there.
Jamuna was at a friend’s house when the 12 May quake struck.
She remembers thinking: “I am not with my parents, and maybe I will die.”
Dancing with Nepalese actor Kuisang Rumba is among activities at a UNICEF-supported child-friendly space helping her re-establish normalcy after such devastating experiences.
The quakes have also taken a heavy toll on Ganga (right).
“I was so afraid that I couldn’t eat or sleep,” she said of the night her family spent outside following the quake on 12 May. “I held my sister’s hand all night long, fearing and sweating at every aftershock.”
“I told them not to worry and advised them to get out of the house as soon as the earth stopped shaking,” Jamuna recalled of the first quake.
Ensuring her sister and brother feel safe and cared for is still a top priority for her. As evening falls on another day, she walks with Anuj in the displacement camp.
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