Shalik’s Story as a Humanitarian Worker
Published: Aug 16, 2023 Reading time: 3 minutes"My parents always motivated me to serve the needy," Shalik said, "saying that serving people is the greatest religion ever."
Shalik was born in a small village in the remote hill region of Arghakhanchi district in western Nepal. He grew up witnessing the difficulties that his parents and community members faced due to poverty, lack of infrastructure, and natural disasters. This early exposure to hardship instilled in him a deep desire to help others.
"There are 12 members in my family, but due to work, everybody is living separately in different parts of Nepal," he stated. "But during major festivals, we all gather together. As of now, I am living with my dad, mom, wife, and daughter."
After completing his undergraduate degree, Shalik moved to Kathmandu to pursue a Master's degree in Social Science. He then joined People in Need, as a field associate in 2015. At the time, Nepal was still recovering from a devastating earthquake that had killed thousands of people and left millions homeless. Shalik was deployed to the Gorkha district, one of the hardest-hit areas.
Shalik worked tirelessly to help the earthquake survivors. He distributed food, water, and shelter. He also helped to rebuild schools and hospitals. His work was essential to the recovery of the Gorkha district.
"Right after 15 days of getting married, I had to go to the field at Gorkha-Keraunja for 40 days," Shalik said with a smile on his face. "But my wife was very understanding. She knew that I was doing an important work."
Since then, Shalik has continued to work with People in Need in various capacities. He has worked on projects to improve access to education, healthcare, and clean water. He has also worked on projects to reduce the risk of natural disasters.
In his current role as Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Coordinator, Shalik works closely with government officials, community members, and other stakeholders to develop and implement disaster preparedness plans. He also works to raise awareness of the risks of natural disasters and to build the capacity of communities to respond to them.
“I was once traveling from Korlabesi to Korla village for a field visit. The journey was long and it was monsoon season, so I had run out of water. I found a cucumber on the side of the road and ate it, later I found out that it was a wild cucumber. This made me sick and I vomited continuously. The road was muddy and there were still 3 hours of uphill journey left. Despite all of these challenges, I did not give up and reached the community of Korla village”, Shalik said proudly.
