Young Konstantinos Barbouris travelled to Nepal to teach young kids English, mathematics and Ancient Greek, and to distribute clothing to those who were affected by the horrific earthquake in 2015, which killed over 8,500 people.
In April of 2015, Nepal was hit by a 7.9 Richter earthquake, one of the most devastating in human history, which seismologists described as, “800 times more powerful than the Hiroshima explosion.” The cosmogenic earthquake, as well as the series of many more powerful aftershocks, killed more than 8,500 people and destroyed over half a million homes.
Since then, the Nepalese community has tried to build new schools and hospitals, as they desperately attempt to return to normal everyday life and living conditions.
15-year-old Konstantinos Barbouris, who is an excellent student and speaks five languages, Greek, English, French, German, Chinese, decided last December that along with his father, they would make a trip to Nepal, to stay in Pokhara, where they would try to give as much as they could to the grief-stricken community.
Konstantinos packed luggage full of clothes, that he distributed to the young kids who were in need and once there, he visited two schools in the area, giving lessons to students of different ages.
“I helped as much as I could, I gave them lessons in English and mathematics, and I spoke to them about ancient Greece. I also helped create a school website. At the same time, I also chatted about the history of my favourite team, Panathinaikos, one of the largest basketball clubs in Europe. I talked about the team, its history and about my idol, Dimitris Diamantidis,” says Konstantinos.
“I feel obliged to help these children. I want to go back there and give them more clothes and to give them hope for a better future. I believe I can do this,” added Konstantinos.
“When they saw me, I looked different to them, and they liked the fact someone trying to help them. The look on their face was priceless. They had a lot of will and despite the difficulty, they were trying to figure out what I was saying and attended lessons with joy.”
His favourite moment was on the last day when he spoke in front of 550 children. “It was touching when everyone looked at me and applauded. That is why we need to help as much as we can, not necessarily by giving money but by sharing our knowledge, love and by giving clothes, that is what they need right now,” concluded Konstantinos.
Source: greekcitytimes.com