On April 25, Nepalese Bilam Karki was driving in Beppu, Oita Prefecture, when he learned about the catastrophic earthquake that had struck the central part of his home country, with the news spreading fast via social media.

"My mind went numb, couldn't think anything, my hands and legs started shaking because I know how houses are built in my country," said Karki, 30, who works for an organization that supports people with disabilities in Beppu.

The magnitude-7.8 quake, followed by powerful aftershocks, caused massive damage to the capital, Kathmandu, claiming the lives of thousands of locals and foreigners, including a Japanese climber.

It took hours for Karki, who came to Japan in 2006 to study at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu, to confirm that his family was safe.

He later learned that a relative was among some 8,000 Nepalese who lost their life in the quake and aftershocks. He said many of his friends and other people like himself far from home were awaiting any scrap of information about the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones.

"My house, which is located about 17 km away from Kathmandu, suffered many cracks and has tilted to a certain degree. It was declared unfit to live (in), so my family is living in a tent nearby," Karki said. "So I thought there must be a way we could help."

Together with a group of friends and fellow Nepalese studying at APU, from which he graduated in 2011, Karki initiated a fundraising drive.

Pray for Nepal was launched with the aim of raising at least ¥1 million to support Nepalese in the most-affected areas of the country.

Soon the team grew to 300 members, including about 200 Japanese and 30 people from other countries, including India, Thailand, the Philippines, South Korea and China.

They also managed to engage students from different universities and other Beppu residents as well as local organizations and companies that offered their help.

Photographs showing Nepal's landscape after the disaster decorated donation boxes held by students dressed in black to mourn the thousands who were killed.

In collaboration with APU's cricket association, the group organized a fundraising tournament where Nepalese community members played against the university's cricket team and other events, including one where visitors were treated to Nepalese curry dishes with help from local Nepalese chefs.

Concerts featuring performances by not only Nepalese but also Japanese and Vietnamese singers and groups who volunteered for the drive, as well as an event where students offered free hugs, were not only aimed at raising money but also to bring hope to survivors of the quake and their families.

There are about 36,000 Nepalese currently residing in Japan, while about 1,000 Japanese nationals live in Nepal, according to the Foreign Ministry.

At the request of the Nepalese government, the Japanese government promised to provide relief supplies, including tents and blankets, worth ¥25 million via the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Karki's group managed to collect ¥4.78 million and handed the donation to Nepalese Ambassador to Japan Madan Kumar Bhattarai to support the Nepalese government's Disaster Relief Fund.

But people in Nepal need more to survive the disaster's aftermath as major aftershocks still occur, including a powerful strike on May 12.

"I was shocked to hear the place I was born and grew up in turned into rubble," Karki said of his birthplace of Bhaktapur, east of Kathmandu.

Meanwhile in the central district of Sindhupalchok, the epicenter of aftershocks that are still being felt across the country, more than 3,000 people lost their lives and some 500,000 houses collapsed.

"The houses in rural areas are not earthquake-resistant and that is why all of the houses are damaged," he said. "People in Nepal have not experienced so many tremors as Japan and they don't know where to start from."

Melamchi, a small village in Sindhupalchok, was one of the most severely affected areas. As many as 95 percent of some 600 houses collapsed and the remaining 5 percent were not safe enough to live in, leaving the entire population homeless.

The destroyed structures include schools, Karki said.

With help from Beppu and neighboring municipalities, Karki decided to raise funds to rebuild Shree Adarsha Jyoti English School, the area's sole junior high school with curricula taught in English. The school is attended by students not only from Melamchi but also from neighboring villages.

To rebuild, Karki says they will need to collect ¥6 million, and adding a second floor will require ¥13 million in total.

Construction work is scheduled to start in August, he said, hoping the new school will be completed by the end of February, before the new academic year starts in March.

Karki said the group plans to cooperate with the central and local governments in Japan, hoping to involve locals in the relief efforts.

He hopes his drive will get the attention of people in Japan willing to "contribute to healing the wounds of the victims of the devastating tragedy."

"We hope the school will enable students to receive quality education, enabling them to have a bright future," he said.

For more information, contact Karki at [email protected] .