Two Oregon State University students are set to leave for Nepal on Friday. Since the devastating earthquake struck over the weekend, they’ve been gathering and packing as many medical supplies as possible.
Christian Nishioka and Cole Miller have been planning a trip to Nepal since January. They intend to make a film about CardioStart, a heart surgery non-profit. OSU professor Alina Padilla-Miller says the young men are part of her Transnational Transmedia class, which allows students to document organizations providing humanitarian aid to developing countries.
Padilla-Miller: “Their greatest concern is not their safety as the parents and most people would think it’s actually that they want to be able to provide as much aid as possible while they’re there shooting and recording this documentary piece that their working on.”
The students are trying to collect clothing for earthquake victims and funds for CardioStart to purchase more medical supplies, water and water sanitation kits.
Padilla-Miller: “They’re also needing tents. The hotel that they were going to stay in near the hospital did crumble and so they’re going to be pitching army tents and sharing quarters with different teams from around the world to provide this aid.”
Padilla Miller says the CardioStart medical team is trying to prevent the spread of disease that could develop in Katmandu.
