A boy lost his home in the Nepal earthquake, but not his passion to sing
Binay Bhujel has the voice of an angel. He sat on the debris from his collapsed home in Nepal and sang about how life goes on.
Binay’s music elicits joy, as does his contagious smile.
“I always feel like smiling,” he said.
When asked what his family needs most since the earthquake last April, he answered with “ghar.”
“Ghar” means “home” in Nepali.
To Binay—like so many others—“ghar” means more than just four walls and a roof. It goes deeper.
“I was born here, and I want to die here,” he said.
Binay lives in central Nepal with his mother and older sister, who were both in the top floor of their home when the earthquake began. They ran down the stairs and shoved the door open just before the house fell. Binay was already outside and had found safety with friends.
His family is one of hundreds of thousands who lost their homes in the disaster. People were left to sleep under makeshift tents and tarps or to crowd into the homes of friends or family.
Binay and his mother with their shelter materials
Samaritan’s Purse made shelters a top priority of our recovery work in Nepal. We supplied materials and construction training to over 20,000 households—most in remote, mountain villages. These sturdy shelters provided families with a safe place to lay their heads while rebuilding their lives.
Along the way, our staff had the privilege of building relationships with people like Binay, his mother, and sister. They remind us that each family has their own important story of survival, of picking up the pieces, and learning how to keep going.
Some move to new villages for a fresh start, some still visit their crumbled homes to pull up the weeds, and some sit on the rubble and sing.
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If you’re interested to see additional photos of Binay and our work in Nepal, please see this recently published photo essay.
