Schiller pivots to aid for next Nepal visit

A before-and-after picture marks the devastation of mudslides in Nepal last week.

Courtesy photo

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DIFFERENT MISSION

Today I ordered a a truck load of 25 lb bags of rice. I don't even know how much it's gonna cost but I do know by the time we get there all the aid will be gone.”

Ernie Schiller, Founder Rebuild Nepal Education Foundation

LEE COUNTY – It’s not a stretch to say that most people in Lee County know Ernie Schiller. Or at least have heard of Ernie Schiller.
Schiller is the retired Central Lee science teacher and current science advisor in the Holy Trinity Catholic system, who’s also spearheaded the Rebuild Nepal Education Foundation. The foundation has worked with more than 300,000 students in the poverty-stricken area nestled in the Himalayas of southern Asia.
The area is prone to earthquakes, the most devastating in 2015, tough growing conditions, tough travel conditions, and provincial infrastructure.
Schiller had planned his 14th trip to the region this spring, but global stressors put that visit off until October. His plans were to take educational materials, trinkets, and other resources to the children of Nepal as part of the RNEF board’s work.
But last week, flooding struck the area, causing catastrophic mud slides that have decimated the city. According to the Red Cross, more than 100,000 Nepalese have been affected, 1,900 are missing, and more than 550 are confirmed dead.
One of those is the guide and interpreter that Schiller’s group has used predominantly on the annual trips. Another lost is one of the students the RNEF put through college.
“It's wiped out. One of the kids that we put through college - he's gone Our major guiding interpreter that I've used for 10 years - he's lost and about 120 of his friends, they're nowhere to be found. They're probably in two to 20 feet of mud,” Schiller said.
The flooding and mudslides have been dramatically hard on the Trisuli River area, a stopping point where RNEF workers would stock up with fruits and vegetables and other staples before heading into the mountainous area to reach children.
“This is a region we regularly travel through to reach remote mountain communities and schools, including schools located along that river that Rebuild Nepal Education Foundation has supported for years,” he said.
The families in that area have already been stricken by poverty and have very little, and now they are suffering another setback with homes, crops, livestock, food supplies, and supply chains all being lost.
Schiller said countries around the world are contributing financially and a new government has pledged to get assistance to the area. Schiller said their effort will focus on a secondary support run, including a truck full of 25-lb. bags of rice. Their trip this fall will be different than those of the past, as they will stop to bring resources to deal with the disaster.
The next volunteer team is scheduled to leave the U.S. for Nepal on October 12. This trip has been planned for nearly a year, with volunteers preparing to work with approximately 5,000 underprivileged children.
“Because the flooding has directly affected communities along our route, we now have an opportunity to do even more,” he said.
Schiller said the area has been covered in more than 15 feet of mud and that will keep residents from being able to successfully grow crops for 10-15 years.
“I'm collecting as much aid as possible and finding the correct sources in Trisuli and see what we can do,” he said. “Today I ordered a a truck load of 25 lb. bags of rice. I don't even know how much it's gonna cost but I do know by the time we get there all the aid will be gone. People will be kind of walking away from it, and that's when they're going to need some help, so they're trying to give me a truckload of rice in Kathmandu.”
Schiller said he’s never had fear about what he’s doing despite some corruption from former governments. He said previous administrations in the country wanted a 30% cut of any funds that he brought in, but he said he refused to pay that and was able to access other resources to prevent that tribute.
With the new government installed last year, Schiller said that corruption doesn’t exist at the level it has in the past.
“I’ve never felt afraid there, but I do get concerned about sanitation and food safety,” he said. “I usually get sick once or twice each time I go because they just don’t have the access to water and cleaning supplies we have here.”
Despite the current danger of the conditions, Schiller said he’s going even if the board has concerns. He said the area has too much need to not go.
“I think we just are going to need as much as we can get. We're gonna need prayers because it's not gonna be a happy place. It’s been an uncomfortable place, but this is going to be unhappy. We’re going to need funds, we're going to need all kinds of support, and we're trying to collect as much medical supplies as possible - things like band aids and adhesive.”
Power is also a concern. The flooding and slides took out four of the area's nuclear power sites so no one can even connect on the other side of the washed out river basin. He said he’s hoping that by the time October rolls around, some of that infrastructure could be back in place, knowing that other natural intrusions could occur.
A lake that was just built in the area is close to overflowing, according to the Associated Press on the ground in the area. If that were to occur, it could further depress the region.
Schiller said he’s looking for mostly monetary donations to provide food and essential supplies; clean water and related necessities; medical supplies, family assistance and emergency support.
Since Schiller founded RNEF, the program has worked with more than 500 schools throughout the country, helped more than 30,000 children attend and remain in schools; and welcomed more than 200 international volunteers to the area. The group even coordinated efforts in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic when they were unable to get to the area directly.
Funds can be donated through the RNEF website at the following link: www.rebuildnepaleducation.org; via Venmo at @RebuildNepalEducation-ErnestSch.
Rebuild Nepal Education Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded following the devastating 2015 Nepal earthquake. For more than a decade, their mission has been to raise awareness of the needs of the people of Nepal and, most importantly, to help underprivileged children receive an education and remain in school.