Speaker ADG Mike Bamford updated us on Nepal

Mike gave us a quick overview of the visit that he and his wife Dot had recently made to Nepal. During his time there the big earthquake hit and he was able to give us first hand details not only of the problems that it caused but also of the help that Rotary was able to offer through the local Rotary Clubs.

Mike and Dot had just left the steep valleys driving towards Buddha's birthplace Lumbini and had been in the very valleys most affected by the quake only one hour earlier. Mike went through the geology of what caused that particular earthquake with the Indian Tectonic plate driving under the Eurasian plate. He said that the earthquake was followed by more than 370 aftershocks the measured over 4 on the Richter scale.

Thus even buildings that had been built to withstand an earthquake were eventually damaged by the continuous nature of the tremors.

Rotary Clubs in Yorkshire have raised more than £50,000 while in the IK as a whole Rotary has raised £2 million. All of this has been forwarded to local Rotary clubs so that they can decide what the real need on the ground is and spend the money where it is needed rather than it getting log jammed in official channels.

Mike also updated us on the work he had been involved in before the earthquake of over viewing the work being done with micro-loans in Sirubari. The maximum loan given out was the equivalent of £50 and was being used to do such things as set up shops or but hens and cocks for breeding. £4,000 has been lent in the Pokhara Valley. All of this has been repaid and is now being lent out again. If somebody does not repay a loan nobody else in that village is given a loan so there is great pressure to use the loans wisely.