Volunteers from the Buddhist humanitarian relief organization JTS Korea, founded by the revered Korean Dharma master Venerable Pomnyun Sunim, distributed emergency supplies to 800 households in Nepal’s Rasuwa District on 20–21 September. The outreach comes as communities are still struggling to rebuild their lives in the aftermath of the catastrophic mountain flash floods and debris flows of late August.*

On 26 August, a glacial collapse in the mountainous border region between Nepal and Tibet triggered a massive wave of floodwaters that swept down the Lhende Khola river valley, engulfing entire communities in a tsunami-like deluge of water, silt, and debris. At least 1,454 people were killed and another 4,718 were recorded as missing in Nepal as of 1 October. In neighboring Tibet, official figures put the number of dead at 43 with 519 missing. Roads were also cut off in the immediate aftermath, making it difficult to assess the extent of the damage and limiting access to isolated communities. JTS sent two staff members from its India office to survey the situation in Nepal on 17 September to determine what needs were most urgent and what aid could be offered.

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim established the humanitarian relief organization JTS in 1993 as an expression of the compassion of engaged Buddhism and based on the principle that helping others is the best way to enrich one’s own life. Headquartered in Seoul, JTS operates program offices in South Korea, Germany, and the United States, along with field offices in India and the Philippines. The relief organization has also earned Special Consultative Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

In a meeting with local relief experts in Kathmandu, the JTS team was briefed on conditions in Dhunche township, in Rasuwa. Because several organizations were already bringing emergency food supplies into the region, JTS decided that pressure cookers and tableware would be most immediately helpful.

The JTS team traveled to the affected region on 18 September. In Betrawati, in neighboring Nuwakot District, the once-busy market town had been buried beneath mud and debris. About 160 households were gone, leaving only bare ground. At a military camp on the road to Dhunche, the team learned that roughly 70 soldiers stationed there were missing.

As they traveled upstream, the devastation worsened. A village that had served as a starting point for mountain treks into the Langtang region had been engulfed in mud, with about 50 households buried.

“We came upstream and still haven’t met a single affected resident,” one JTS member observed. “The entire village is gone—there aren’t even residents remaining who lost their homes or property. The entire village was swept away.”

The team met Nepali government officials on 19 September, who acknowledged that while emergency food supplies were reaching the area, there was a serious shortage of cooking equipment. The officials also requested cooking gas. However, since Nepal’s central government tightly controls gas supplies, which require a lengthy approval process, JTS limited this first round of aid to items that could be delivered immediately.

Charged with bringing hope, empowerment, and self-reliance to underprivileged communities in developing countries, JTS is run and manned by unpaid volunteers, who ensure that all donations benefit the marginalized communities with which the organization works. JTS carries out relief work in countries suffering from humanitarian disasters, with the aim of “solving the problems of poverty and pain in Asia by the efforts of Asian people,” and has already completed humanitarian projects in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, North Korea, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka.

Officials in the village of Syabrubesi said many students had lost their parents and their homes. About 200 students were housed at the village school and were receiving food aid by helicopter. Officials asked JTS for notebooks, pens, pencils and sports equipment, which the team provided.

Two trucks carrying the JTS relief goods made their way from Kathmandu bearing pressure cookers, stainless steel plates, rice bowls, and water cups. Distribution was organized, with government officials selecting eligible families. 

On 20 September, 568 households in Thulobarko, Sanobarko, and Dhunche received supplies. On 21 September, relief aid was distributed to 232 households in Thade, Bokejhunda, Sole, and Bhamali.

“Few survivors could be found in upstream areas, where entire villages had been swept away,” JTS reported. “Downstream, residents had gathered in schools and temples to care for one another. Those areas, closer to Kathmandu, had received relatively more aid, easing food concerns somewhat, but rebuilding homes and keeping children in school remain major challenges.”

JTS will continue to monitor needs on the ground and provide further support.

Ven. Pomnyun Sunim, the guiding Dharma teacher of Jungto Society, is a widely respected author and social activist. He has founded numerous organizations, initiatives, and projects across the world. In October 2020, The Niwano Peace Foundation in Japan presented the 37th Niwano Peace Prize to Ven. Pomnyun Sunim in recognition of his international humanitarian work, environmental and social activism, and his tireless efforts to build trust and goodwill between communities of different faiths and cultures, toward the goal of world peace.**

* Dalai Lama Offers Condolences as Nepal and Tibet Struggle with Aftermath of Devastating Flash Flood (BDG)

** Buddhist Monk Ven. Pomnyun Sunim Awarded the 37th Niwano Peace Prize (BDG)

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