Prince Harry will visit quake-hit areas in Nepal

When Prince Harry visits Nepal this weekend, ordinary people hope his tour of earthquake-hit areas will draw attention to the country’s struggle to recover from the 2015 disaster.

“Hopefully when a big prince comes to these alleys and the world’s media will see how miserable our lives are, we will get some help,” said Ram Kaji, who was selling potatoes on the street near his damaged home in Patan, a historic district near the capital of Kathmandu.

The April 25, 2015, quake killed nearly 9,000 people, destroyed about one million homes and damaged many old temples, palaces and other structures in Patan and the capital.

During his five-day trip, the 31-year-old will also visit a camp for displaced survivors and stay with a family whose men served in the Gurkha regiments of the British Army. “He has a huge amount of admiration for the resilience of the people of the country, particularly in response to the earthquakes last year,” Kensington Palace said in a statement.

Harry is the first British royal to visit Nepal since the monarchy was abolished in 2008 following street protests.

Since then, Nepal has turned into a republic, with a President chosen by a Parliament. The prince will meet with President Bidhya Devi Bhandari. Authorities have been slow to push ahead with rebuilding efforts.

A government reconstruction agency was finally appointed in December but has yet to provide promised aid money to displaced families and guidelines to build new houses and structures.

People who live around the Golden Temple in Patan hope Harry’s visit will generate greater awareness about rebuilding needs.

The Buddhist shrine that dates back 1,400 years was mostly spared by the earthquake but the adjoining monastery, prayer house and assembly halls have been damaged. Only plastic sheets are keeping the rain off and the damaged areas are closed to the public due to danger of collapse. Harry will also negotiate a narrow alley alongside brick and mud houses that are supported by wooden beams.

Puspa Raj Bajracharya, who is on the committee that takes care of the Golden Temple, said they have sent requests and proposals to the government, saying it was getting dangerous for the devotees who come to the temple, but have not received any response. Repairs are estimated to cost about 25 million rupees ($227,000), but so far only a fraction of that has been collected from private donors.

“His grandmother had visited the temple in the 1980s when she came to Nepal with her husband and now the young prince is coming,” Bajracharya said. “We hope when the prince comes to our temple we will get the attention of the world to come help us.”

Prince Harry will also travel to Bhaktapur, a historic town east of Kathmandu that suffered even more damage, and visit a nearby temporary camp for about 250 people made homeless by the disaster, a quarter of whom are children.

In Pokhara, a lakeside town that is a base for trekkers in central Nepal, Harry will meet several retired Gurkha soldiers and their families. The prince served with a Gurkha battalion during a tour of duty in Afghanistan.

The Gurkhas have served in the British army for 200 years and have a reputation for being brave, tenacious fighters. Thousands of young Nepali men attempt to pass the grueling test to become a Gurkha, but only a few get through.

Harry will honor those killed in battle and spend a night with a local family.