Charity seeks Hong Kong volunteers to help with Nepal earthquake counselling

A Hong Kong counselling charity is calling for volunteers to step forward and aide the recovery of the largely affected Nepalese communities shattered by the earthquake zone.

The Post-Crisis Counselling Network (PCCN) wants to train large numbers of volunteers in counselling skills, particularly psychotherapy – to eventually send them to Nepal.

A Nepal government official predicted the death toll could exceed 10,000, with 4,800 lives lost in Saturday’s devastating earthquake so far, including one Hong Kong man among the victims.

The first batch of volunteers – up to 140 people – from Hong Kong are due to fly to Kathmandu by May 13 and will help to provide counselling.

Timothy To Wing-ching, the charity’s director, said it was vital for volunteers to step forward.

“If people have trauma and they don’t have any treatment, assessment or professional people to help, if they pass two or three years, the mental trauma will be worse,” he warned.