Sophomore Neha Khadka remembers feeling on top of the world.

As she flew over the Himalayas, she felt as if she could reach out of her airplane window and touch the mountains. She still smiles when she remembers her fourth trip to visit relatives in Nepal.

“Nepal is such a beautiful place,” Khadka said.

Now, Nepal has crumbled to pieces.

On April 25, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal’s capital and the heavily populated Kathmandu valley, killing thousands and leaving many others homeless and stranded. Khadka could feel the impact too, even from thousands of miles away.

“This whole week has been a struggle for my family,” Khadka said.

According to an article on the Khaleej Times, “What took moments to flatten will take years to rebuild.” As one of the poorest countries in the UN, reports say Nepal will struggle to fix the huge economic footprint the natural disaster left behind.

Naperville North International Relations teacher Lisa Stebnicki agrees.

“To have such a devastating earthquake in a country that is considering developing is a challenge in itself,” Stebnicki said.

While Nepal is in its early recovery stages, many of the 8 million people affected by the earthquake need help. There are 1.4 million people in urgent need of food aid, and half a million tents are needed to accommodate those who lost their homes.

Stebnicki believes that the NNHS community can help.

“It’s important to get classes actively donating and to start thinking about this as a cause rather than a current event,” Stebnicki said.

Khadka is on the same page.

“Nepal needs a lot of medical supplies, food and shelter,” Khadka said. “We can’t really do anything but raise money as a community.”

Earlier this week, Khadka asked Talk 203 to email all District 203 families to inform them about the earthquake and providing a link to the Nepali American Center Relief Fund.

According the Khadka, the Chicago-based organization has close ties to Nepal, and all donations will go towards relief and restoration.

Khadka knows that the months, maybe even years, to come will be difficult for her, her family and the Nepali community.

However, she believes that with open hearts, the NNHS community can make a difference.

“We need to come together,” Khadka said.