NRS Relief CEO Farhaj Sarwar gives a radio interview to Dubai Eye about its Nepal earthquake response
One hundred days after the devastating earthquake shook Nepal in April, NRS Relief has been invited by the leading Dubai radio station, Dubai Eye 103.8 FM, to talk about the company’s rapid response strategy and its continuing efforts to supply emergency relief items to aid agencies on the ground.
Part of the Arabian Radio Network, Dubai Eye is a Dubai-based radio station that provides business, news, current affairs, sports, entertainment and special interest programming for a cross-cultural audience across the UAE.
In a recorded interview, Farhaj Sarwar, Managing Director of NRS Relief, discussed the logistic challenges encountered while distributing core relief items to the affected areas as quickly as possible. The interview was aired on Dubai Eye’s local news segment starting from 8:00 am and every hour thereafter throughout the day on 3 August.
Click here to listen to the radio broadcast:
“The geography of Nepal is very difficult and very complex. We had a tough time landing aicrafts there, we had a tough time getting permits to land the plane, the airport was small and there were a lot of incoming flights with short runway. So there were quite many challenges but we still continued strengthening the whole process to land planes faster and provide aid as quickly as we can.”
Mr. Sarwar also described how the staff has worked around the clock since the first earthquake struck on 25 April to assist various aid agencies and international non-governmental organizations with the much-needed solar lights.
“We are working more on the solar lights so people have lights in that area. Electricity is a big issue over there so we are working more on the shelter and lighting (requirements).”
In a very rewarding case of supplying emergency shelters to the monastery, NRS Relief was also able to work closely with Bairo Ling Australia, a non-governmental organisation that is helping a Nepalese monastery and other affected families to rebuild damaged homes.
The Amitabha Monastery, set high in the mountains surrounding the Kathmandu valley, is an important centre for Tibetan Buddhism. It is home to approximately 300 nuns, who have made the journey all the way to Nepal from remote places such as Tibet, Ladakh, Bhutan and Sikkim in order to practice their religion at Amitabha. The Legend 45 multi-purpose tents that NRS Relief has supplied are now being put to inspirational use at the prominent monastery, making a difference to the lives of 300 nuns.
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