Nepal’s earthquake reflects village exodus of Nepali young

Gone, the girl says as she squints into the sun, the air around her shimmering with wind-blown wheat chaff. She points to one house after another nestled in the green hills, most shattered from the massive earthquake that hit Nepal last month. This youth exodus, a painful choice between staying with family in impoverished hometowns or venturing into an often-harsh world to make much-needed money, began well before the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 25 knocked flat whole villages. Now, however, some in rural Nepal wonder if they’ll lose even the young ones who’ve stayed, complicating not only the huge job of rebuilding after the quake but also the task of improving village life in one of the world’s poorest countries.

Over there, one has gone. The same over there. Most of the young people here are gone. At least one for every house.

Villager Smriti Bastola, 16

Poverty, war, rampant high-level corruption and epic political squabbling have bred a deep pessimism among young Nepalis. Repeatedly in interviews in rural villages this week, they have said that the earthquake now has them thinking of joining their many friends who have left already. The problem can be partially traced to a decade-long Maoist insurgency. Because the Maoists often forced rural young people to join them, many left for Kathmandu or foreign countries. As Nepalis gained reputations for being honest, hard workers, they were welcomed in the Gulf as construction workers, guards and manual laborers. Others in rural Nepal soon followed.

The young people who should be here, who would help us with the work of rebuilding, they are gone. There is no one to bring the raw materials we need to make this village better, to fix the broken houses.

Triveni Bastola, 27

Asia-Pacific Nepal