In March news of the death of two Nepali students after a car crash in Albury, New South Wales were widely shared on the social media of members of Australia’s Nepali community.
Before that incident, nine other Nepalis had lost their lives across Australia from various causes including drowning and suicide.
The latest incident brings the death toll to 11 from mid-December to April 2019 and is worrying many in the community.
According to NSW Police, emergency services were called to the Hume Highway in Mullengandra on March 28 after a car crashed into a tree and rolled in the early hours of the morning.
The latest incident brings the death toll to 11 from mid-December to April 2019 and is worrying many in the community.
Among the five people who were in the car at the time of the accident, an 18-year-old male passenger sitting in the front seat died at the scene.
The driver of the vehicle was taken to Canberra in serious condition but succumbed to his injuries five days later.
The 18-year-old student’s name was Aryan Acharya, and his friend Balaram Parajuli was driving the car.
Three of their friends were also injured in the accident.
The friends from Nepal were travelling from Sydney to Melbourne.
When Nepal’s acting Ambassador to Australia, Durapada Sapkota got the message about the accident and that Nepali students were involved, she knew she had to get to work straight away.
Nepal's acting ambassador to Australia Durapada Sapkota addressing Nepali students in Sydney after a vocational training provider's accreditation was revoked. Source: Facebook
“Every time we get a call about such incidents, it is incredibly sad, not just for the victims but for their families as well,” says Sapkota.
Before coming to Australia in 2018, Ms Sapkota worked for two years at Nepal’s Embassy in Malaysia.
“In that country, on average, one Nepali person died each day,” she says.
Despite the difference between issues faced by Nepalis in Malaysia and Australia, she is concerned about the number of her fellow citizens losing their lives in Australia.
The majority of reported deaths are from drowning, suicide, illness and motor vehicle accidents.
“For so many people to lose their lives within four months is definitely a cause for concern,” says the acting ambassador.
Nepal’s embassy in Canberra is also struggling to support the repatriation of the deceased financially.
Nepal embassy in Canberra organised a meeting to discuss issues faced by the community. Source: Supplied
When it comes to repatriation of the bodies of the deceased, their family has sole responsibility explains the acting ambassador.
With the recent deaths within the community, the embassy has been liaising with the relevant hospitals to resolve insurance money for repatriation she says.
As such, many come to rely on the generosity of the local Nepali community.
“We need to start looking for long-term solutions to help people in need,” she says.
Nepal is currently the third largest source country for international students in Australia.
According to the Department of Home Affairs, more than 26,000 student visas were granted to applicants in Nepal for the 2017-2018 period, an increase of 43.6 per cent on 2016-2017.
Support from ‘go-to’ people in the community
Members of Australia’s Nepali community are keen to pitch in not just when someone dies.
Among the problems faced by young Nepali students include finding accommodation, employment and workplace exploitations.
Vocational training providers shutting down have also impacted hundreds of Nepali students in Australia.
Ms Ban became the ‘go-to’ person to help any Nepali person who had come to Australia
From helping people with medical costs to assisting students facing mental health and gambling problems, volunteers are putting in a lot of time and effort.
One such dedicated volunteer is Indra Ban, who was awarded the Order of Australia medal in 2011 for her work within the community.
Ms Ban, who came to Australia nearly 40 years ago, has devoted her life in helping Nepalis who get into trouble in Australia.
In 1976, she and a few other members started the Nepalese Australian Association.
Indra Ban OAM (Facebook) Source: Facebook
That made Ms Ban the ‘go-to’ person to help any Nepali person who had come to Australia.
She remembers the first person she helped.
In the early 1990s, when a Nepali person was diagnosed with cancer and was given days to live, Ban got together with other members of the community and helped raise funds for the patient’s family to visit Australia and eventually his funeral.
Since then she has helped victims of domestic violence, attended court as a translator for alleged drug traffickers, visited sick Nepalis in hospital and the incarcerated in prison.
“It was never just me doing everything. Every time there was someone who needed help, other members of the community always came forward to help,” she says.
“It’s our duty, but community organisations can’t be relied upon for assistance.”
The first time Ms Ban came to Australia, there were only six Nepalis in-country. By 2019, the community has changed dramatically and so has the number of people needing critical assistance.
This, she says, is adding enormous pressure among the members of the community who are ready to help anyone in need, no matter what their personal situation is.
“It’s unfortunate to hear so many Nepali students are losing their lives in Australia,” she says.
Being one of the first groups of people to get a phone call when a Nepali person gets into trouble, Ms Ban sees the importance of being able to help.
“It’s our duty, but community organisations can’t be relied upon for assistance.”
Due to the increasing number of students coming to the country, many organisations just don’t have the resources to help, says Ban.
“Nepalis will help with all they can financially, but there will be a limit to how much they can contribute… This is why the Nepali Embassy in Canberra has to play a more significant role.
“It’s the embassy’s responsibility to assist every Nepali citizen,” she says.
Keshav Kandel is a Nepali Community Leader in Melbourne (Facebook) Source: Facebook
Increasing awareness, preventing tragedy
Melbourne resident Keshav Kandel understands the pressure volunteers like him are facing but doesn’t want to shy from his responsibilities.
With a young family and a small business to run, there are often when he has to dedicate up to four days in a week helping students in need.
“There’s significant pressure on us, but if there’s an incident within the community then we have to help, there’s no other option.”
“We don’t think about not doing anything despite the pressure,” he says.
But he does think about the ways that can help reduce such pressure.
“We had prepared the training session hoping to get about 30 students, but more than 50 turned up. While very few students came for the information sessions.”
Kandel uses his current role as the vice president of the Victorian chapter of a diaspora Nepali association, the Non- Resident Nepali Association Australia (NRNA), which is part of a global network of Nepalis living outside their country of birth.
Participants at a workshop organised by NRNA in Melbourne (Facebook) Source: Facebook
Being proactive about preventative measures is something he thinks will be helpful for the entire community.
“If we can increase awareness about staying safe in water or on the road, we can reduce preventable deaths.”
The NRNA in Melbourne organised a five-day skill development and awareness training event in February and March this year.
The ‘Student Assist’ program included barista and waiter training followed by resume writing and interview skills for young students.
General information about Melbourne, accommodation and road and water safety topics were also discussed says Kandel.
The program was held after receiving feedback from students through a survey the association had conducted.
“In the survey, lack of information, lack of training and lack of skills were given as key reasons for the problems faced by the students,” he says.
Participants at a graduate employability and networking session organised by Nepalese Association of Victoria (Facebook) Source: Facebook
“Many students said what they were told about Australia before coming here was completely different from the reality. This is why we felt it was necessary to organise such sessions. To let them know whatever we knew.”
But something that surprised Kandel during the training sessions was that the students were more interested in learning the skills than hearing about water safety.
“We had prepared the training session hoping to get about 30 students, but more than 50 turned up. While very few students came for the information sessions.”
Such messages about safety are not getting through to the students, says Kandel, and that worries him.
Also, he also wants to highlight some of the fraudulent and exploitative activities happening within the Nepali community in Australia.
Participants of the coffee making workshop organised by NRNA in Melbourne (Facebook) Source: Facebook
“Things like getting mobile phones in someone else’s name, not paying bills, breaking rental agreements,” he says.
“Many students call us literally crying, asking us to help, and most often we cannot help them legally, except to provide information about where to seek help.”
NRNA has a welfare fund, set up with donations and membership fees from the community. The organisation says it uses the fund to help members of the community who need urgent assistance for things like medical and repatriation of bodies to Nepal.
“Up to $2000 can be provided for people with a serious need,” says Kandel.
An embassy’s work is never done
Nepal's acting ambassador to Australia Durapada Sapkota (L) spoke to SBS Nepali about the help available to resolve students' problems in Australia. (Embassy of Nepal, Canberra) Source: Nepal Embassy Canberra
Meanwhile, acting ambassador Durapada Sapkota says the embassy does its best to help anyone needing assistance.
“We can’t make members of the community help financially, but many want to help,” says Sapkota.
Last month, the embassy organised a stakeholder consultation event to discuss issues faced by Nepali students in Australia.
Among the recommendations made during the consultation, mandatory pre-departure orientation for students in Nepal and lobbying with insurance providers to cover repatriation are major ones.
