COM Outlook - Winter 2016

College of Osteopathic Medicine 11 In terms of sheer statistics, more than 2 million citizens had been displaced, with an estimated 600,000 million homes destroyed and another 300,000 severely damaged. Since many of the dwellings had either been demolished or devastated beyond the point of being inhabitable, people were living out in the open, without any protection from the elements, or in makeshift tents. In fact, two of the three homes Banjara’s family lived in were destroyed as well, forcing him to live in a tent during his stay in Nepal. After checking on his family members, which included his four-year-old daughter, and ensuring their safety, Banjara dove into action by traveling to different earthquake-relief organizations and collecting food, medicine, and tents that could be distributed to many of the neediest victims, which included senior citizens, children, and pregnant women. In his role as an M.P.H. student, he then contacted the Nepal Ministry of Home and Ministry of Health and Population to see how he could best assist with the relief efforts from a governmental perspective. “I worked as a volunteer for the ministry in the collec- tion and compilation of earthquake related-data from the Kavre district of Nepal regarding the relief distribution of medicine, food, water, clothes, tents, and other emergency support,” said Banjara, who felt humbled to be able to assist his earthquake-ravaged nation. “I am a public health professional with a clinical background that includes working in a Nepal hospital, so I felt compelled to help” he explained. “As you can imagine, it made me ex- tremely sad when I thought about my family, my nation, and the many needy people who required emergency-response (Continued on next page)