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Maryknoll Priest Continues to Assist Nepal's Earthquake Victims

Contact: Mike Virgintino, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, 914-941-7636 ext 2219

MARYKNOLL, N.Y., May 26, 2015 /Christian Newswire/ -- Father Joseph Thaler is a Maryknoll priest from Cold Spring, Kentucky (Diocese of Covington), who has been working for 30 years on many different projects with the people of Nepal. The programs include a sewing business, another business that raises mushrooms and a third program that provides support for workers at brick factories.

These and many other initiatives provide health care and education for the brick workers, train the Nepalese in cultivation, briquette making, organic farming and vermicomposting techniques, provide education promotion activities for children and help empower women through training that helps them generate income to support their families.

All the projects overseen by Father Thaler were destroyed in the recent Nepal earthquakes. Before attempting to restore these means of livelihood, Father Thaler now is helping the people he knows, and many others, to literally and figuratively rebuild their lives. Here are some of the stories he has shared since the first quake struck Nepal on April 25.

Moving Supplies

    Father Thaler and his local staff have been able to move supplies from one of the cities, Bhaktapur, to various villages on a regular basis. With the help of many other people, they prepare truckloads of supplies, move the supplies to the villages where homes were destroyed and then repeat the process.

    "Collaborating with others is always the way to move in Nepal," said Father Thaler, "and this situation is no different...These groups have the extended human resource power and mobility needed to actually move supplies into the villages for any effective work at this time."

    Among the people who assist Father Thaler are Anju, who coordinates the emergency response with the Nepal Youth Resource Center, and Noor, a member of the Tibetan Muslim Community. Only a few days after the first quake, Noor helped move supplies to the Gorkha area while Anju's group moved supplies to the Nagarkot area. The supplies included rice, dal, noodles and salt.

    In Nepal, Maryknoll always has worked closely with the Buddhist, Muslim and Hindu communities.

    "It would be difficult to find a better group of folks to work with over these many years," said Father Thaler. "They have been very faithful and very hard working and have made the good name of Maryknoll known in Nepal. During this time, it is a very special honor to join together in inter-religious dialogue at its best."

Govinda and His Family

    Govinda and his family live in the village of Gajuri, Dhading, Nepal. Father Thaler and Govinda first met during 1985, when Govinda was a university student.

    "One of the professors at the university asked me if I could help provide food for one of the students who was a brilliant student but was starving to death because he had no money for food," recalled Father Thaler, who noted that Govinda also has a physical handicap.

    "I went to the university and met Govinda as he was crawling down the driveway shouting my name with his beautiful smile and enthusiasm for life that is still very much with him," added Father Thaler. "He graduated and then returned to his village to teach in his local school."

    Govinda is involved with Father Thaler's sewing program. During the quake, his house and the program itself were destroyed. A few days later, Father Thaler found Govinda. Sitting under a tree, they, along with Govinda's son and daughter, made the decision that "in three months we will begin the next sewing session with 15 students."

    Father Thaler added: "Such is our faith that it will happen. Indeed the mountains have moved in Nepal and we will move a few more ourselves!"

To learn how you can support the work of Father Thaler and Maryknoll in Nepal, visit www.maryknollsociety.org/index.php/articles/3-projects/1074.

Additional photos from Nepal are available.