Outpatient ward

Asmita Maharjan, and her family of ten, are in a hospital. They have been at Tribhuvan University's Teaching Hospital, Maharajgunj, in north Kathmandu, ever since the earthquake. But except for Asmita's hajurma, her 85-year-old grandmother, no one in the family needs medical treatment. Asmita's sister, who was injured during the earthquake, was discharged several days ago. Yet the entire Maharjan family now lives in the hospital, because both their houses in Dharmasthali, a hillside village on the outskirts of Kathmandu valley, were destroyed on 25 April.

Maharjan family's story is not much different from those thousands who have lost their homes after the earthquake. Like many, their village is yet to receive adequate help. "We could see that lots of aid was being distributed in the plain area below. But because we are on the hillside, we got less," a woman from the family said.  Relief workers have found it more difficult to reach the hilly areas and most relief has gone to the more accessible areas.  So far, the family has received two packets of Wai Wai noodles, the brand famous for creating Nepal's first billionaire, and a packet of bhujia, a popular snack, so far. When asked why all of them are there, Asmita said "Because we have nowhere else to go now. The tents we got in the village were very small. We could not stay together as a family. The hospital allows us to stay together." As one of the few educated members of the family, Asmita, who has completed tenth grade from a high school in her village, has now become the family's spokesperson.