Nepali schoolgirl Ritu Maya Tamang survives flood that killed mother, dreams of becoming doctor

NUWAKOT, Nepal (AFP) -- At 12, Nepali schoolgirl Ritu Maya Tamang has already learned how a close-knit family can be torn apart in a matter of minutes.

Tamang is among more than 500 children separated from their parents by the catastrophic August 26 flooding that hit the China-Nepal border, sweeping away homes, bridges and houses.

Nepal's disaster agency said Friday that 1,385 bodies had been retrieved, while 5,130 people remained missing. In China, state media says 43 people are dead and 519 missing.

The flood that first hit Nepal's high-altitude Rasuwa district claimed the life of Tamang's mother, but her body is yet to be found.

Tamang's younger sister is now battling pneumonia in hospital, and her father stays by her bedside.

While her life has been upended by the country's worst-ever flood disaster, one thing remains unchanged -- Tamang still wants to become a doctor.

"I get nightmares about the flood," the shy seventh grader said as she finished an essay in her neat handwriting at a temporary learning centre run by Save the Children charity in Nuwakot district. "But I have dreams." Nearby, children -- some of them younger than five -- put finishing touches to colourful crayon drawings.

The memory of the day the floods struck is fresh in Tamang's mind.

Her mother, a housekeeper, was at work at a hydropower project office next to the Trishuli River.

"When the water came gushing, my mother could not escape it. I survived because I was at school," said Tamang, her eyes glistening with tears.

The only keepsake that Tamang has of her mother is a black face mask that she had tucked in her bag.

Save the Children says at least 540 children have been separated from their parents, and are living along with thousands others in relief camps in flood-affected areas, according to a preliminary assessment.

In one of the tented learning centres, teacher Shanti Sapkota said when the children first arrived, many were in a state of shock and panic.

"They would say that 'my house has been taken away,' 'my father has been swept away' or 'my mother has been swept away,'" Sapkota told Agence France-Presse.

"But they are slowly moving on from that state of mind." Nepal's government has said it will guarantee education through high school for affected children, with support ranging from residential care to full scholarships.

Along with its stakeholders, the government has committed to establishing a $6.5-million scholarship fund for some 1,000 students affected by the floods.

"We are giving priority to children who have lost their guardians," said education minister Sasmit Pokharel.

"We will identify what kind of support each child needs. ... We will stand by them," he said on Monday.

At the Nuwakot learning center, psychologist Ekta Shreshtha said the children were easily triggered by any strange person or noise.

"It is still early days but from my observation, many of them are having trouble sleeping and have retreated into a shell," she told AFP.

"We try to keep them distracted with toys and other fun activities that help them forget their trauma for some time," she said.

"But their whole life is ahead of them. The pain is going to come back again."