Nepal sabbatical timely for AUT staff member
Nepal sabbatical timely for AUT staff member
AUT University staff member Monique van Veen is currently in Nepal heading up one of the emergency relief efforts to help people after the devastating earthquake that occurred on Saturday. Monique is coordinating the emergency relief group going in and out of a small village in Gorkha, close to the earthquake’s epicentre.
Over 4000 people are now known to have died and more than 6500 people have been injured in the massive earthquake. Monique said “The surrounding villages of Gorkha Bazaar are in ruins and people are still trapped. The most immediate relief needed is dry food, thousands of tents and medical supplies including water purification. We are also running a blood drive out of Pokhara but the hospital will soon be overrun, as all surrounding villages are sending their casualties this way”.
Monique is also working with other organisations such as Doctors without Borders and Red Cross Kathmandu to share information and funds with the aim to get a helicopter into Gorkha so they can set up a mobile surgery. Monique said “everyone is terrified and stressed, and with tremors taking place every few hours, most people are having to sleep outside.”
Monique, an AUT graduate (Bachelor of Communications with Public Relations 2011) started working at the University over two years ago as International Programmes Co-ordinator. She is currently on a 12-month sabbatical working in non-governmental organisations in hillside villages throughout Asia and was working in Nepal when the earthquake struck.
Last year, Monique was accepted on the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards programme and was invited to attend the University Scholarships Leaders Symposium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The University Scholars Leadership Symposium is specially designed to provide the next generation leaders with an understanding of key sustainable development challenges, and to motivate them to realise their potential as agents of change through diverse international peers and inspiring interactions with experienced humanitarian leaders. Speaking to Inside AUT last year, Monique said “I love working in an international sector and I would like to have more involvement in international humanitarian affairs in the future”.