Kelowna student association hosting vigil for Nepal

KELOWNA – Nepalese students in Kelowna are joining hands to honour the thousands of people who lost their lives when the 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal last weekend.

The Nepalese Scholars’ Association of the University of British Columbia Okanagan campus will be hosting a candlelight vigil to raise awareness and funds for the Red Cross this Sunday, May 3.

“Our friends and families are in great pain and despair,” Dinesh Adhikary, founding member of the scholar association, says. “We Nepalese students at UBC Okanagan are in great pain as well. Our immediate families are fine but our homes are in ruin and our families are out on the streets. But we Nepalese students have not lost hope. We believe, it is time to step forward and do the best we can to support our people.”

The student union at the Okanagan campus is donating $1,500 towards earthquake relief and students are aiming to raise $40,000 over the next six months to support the earthquake victims and their families in the Gorkha district.

The federal government is currently matching all donations to the Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund dollar-for-dollar.

The vigil will be held at Stuart Park in Kelowna on Sunday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m. The public is welcome to participate.

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