Kate Brierley, who was in the country three months before the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck on April 25, said she could not comprehend the damage it caused.

The 20-year-old said her heart sank when she heard about the earthquake. She did not know the fate of the many Nepalese people she had met during her trip.

“It was hard waiting for an email to see if they were OK,” Ms Brierley, who sponsors a child in Sindhuli District, said. 

“I can’t imagine what they would be feeling. Families are living in tents and under tarps because the buildings have cracks in them and they can’t go back in them.”

She knew that areas in Nepal required urgent action so she organised a trivia night on May 19 which attracted more than 200 people and raised $4600.

Ms Brierley said she was overwhelmed with the support and generosity of the Ballarat community to make the trivia night a success. She received other donations after the event and they are still rolling in.

Ms Brierley and her family have planned a trip to Nepal early next year where they will help rebuild a village in the Gorkha District. They will join volunteer teams from Ballarat-based Aussie Action Abroad.

Aussie Action Abroad director Graeme Kent has recently returned home from Nepal where he identified projects and restorative works that need to be undertaken. 

He said 60 homes had been destroyed in the Gorkha District.

“We are working with the local community to relocate the village and build new schools and community centres,” Mr Kent said. “It will enable them to build a new future.”

He said Aussie Action Abroad had supported about six schools with temporary classrooms and provided learning materials for hundreds of children.

Mr Kent said Ms Brierley’s fundraiser was one of many in the Ballarat area. Sing Australia Ballarat held a concert at the Mechanics Institute on Saturday, raising $10,000.

“Every cent raised in the Nepal Earthquake Appeal will be used in Nepal and given to projects and communities,” Mr Kent said.

He said the recovery effort in Nepal was expected to take up to 10 years.