‘Orphaned’ by floods, more than 500 Nepali children face uncertain future

Dhading; Rasuwa; Nuwakot, Nepal – As nine-year-old Ram Thakur walked uphill with his mother and dozens of others fleeing floodwaters on August 26, he looked back and saw brown water surging up.

So they started running. His mother, who had been holding his hand until then, helped him climb faster. Then, as the sounds of the swirling water mingled with the shouts of those around them, she yelled to her son: “Chhito maathi hinda, pachhaadi na-hera,” Nepali for “Climb up faster, don’t look behind.”

That’s what Thakur did, climbing higher and higher, until he finally looked back. The water was still gurgling close by, but his mother wasn’t there any more.

Nearly four weeks later, Thakur is still waiting – hoping against hope – for his mother and father. He is currently living in a government primary school turned temporary shelter house in Nuwakot district in Nepal, with 26 other children.

They are among more than 500 children living in different temporary shelter homes across Nepal’s flood-affected districts, their parents either dead or missing. Under Nepali law, a person must be missing for 12 years before they can be declared dead. The law offers an exemption from this rule during disasters, but for that, relatives need to apply to a district court for what is known as a judicial declaration of death.

So for now, Thakur and the other children live in limbo. Legally, they’re not yet orphans. But in practice, they are without their parents – and have been since the floods that killed more than 1,400 people and left at least 5,000 others missing.

The morning of August 26 began like any other school day for Thakur. He was on his way to school with his mother about 8am when the disaster struck. Thakur’s father, who worked as a guide and driver, was at home: His work began at 10am.

Suddenly, they heard people shouting: “Daudanu, baadhi” (“Run, flood!”)