When the first earthquake struck on April 25, 2015, Phuchhetter Sherpa (pictured below) was at Everest Base Camp working as an ice-doctor. Ice-doctors look after the maintenance of the track, ladders and ropes for climbers hoping to reach the summit of Mt Everest.

The earthquake triggered an avalanche that completely destroyed the camp where he was based, killing three of his fellow ice-doctors. “We were very lucky, we almost died, but we got a second life,” says Phuchhetter.

Phuchhetter’s home in the town of Nakchung was also destroyed in the earthquakes. The Himalayan Trust funded the construction of relief home for families from Nakchung in the village of Lukla, where they will live until the bridge near Nakchung village is repaired and they are able to return to rebuild their homes.

“We feel much safer in the relief house. It’s well-insulated and very warm.
We were staying in tents and under tarps until we could move in.”

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