The 28-year-old Bendigo adventurer should by now be on a working and bike-riding holiday in France. Instead, she is knee deep in the rubble, helping put broken buildings and shattered lives back together in a nation where sadness and smiles live side by side.

Sam - a social worker specialising in post traumatic stress disorder among children - is volunteering for aid organisation First Steps Himalaya in the hard-hit Sindhupalchowk district.

Ninety-six per cent of homes in the region were either destroyed or rendered unsafe by the deadly disaster.

“I went to villages that had been completely wiped out by the first earthquake - there was nothing left of house but piles of rubble,” Sam says.

“Among this rubble, children ran around and distraught adults looked helpless. This made me feel so much sorrow for my fellow human beings.

“It was so hard for me to comprehend what it must feel like to have everything you own destroyed in under a minute.

“Once we began handing over basic food supplies such as rice, lentils, salt and oil, the people were so incredibly thankful and gave back the brightest smiles. It was probably one of the most humbling experiences of my life”

Sam had left Nepal and was in Bhutan when the initial quake struck on April 25. 

She had been due to fly to France soon after, planning to work, learn the language and ride her bike through as much of Europe as possible.

“But after speaking to my Nepali friends and hearing how bad things were on the ground, I felt I couldn’t possibly leave them and their beautiful country to deal with this hardship on their own,” she says.

“As a social worker, I knew I had skills that might be of use and I was willing to do whatever the people of this country I’d fallen in love with needed.”

Sam has since been working with First Steps Himalaya to raise funds, rebuild schools and guide distressed youngsters along the path to healing.

She was in the stricken country when the second quake hit, ruining many of the structures that somehow survived the initial ground-shift.

“It was a Tuesday and I was meeting one of my local friends so we could discuss some planned relief efforts for the rest of the week. We were sitting in a cafe when the ground began to shake...

“As we moved to a safe place, I saw a man jump from a roof and land hard on the concrete. I later found out this man broke his leg. 

“People all around were screaming and children were crying, and as I walked back to my accommodation, there were hundreds of people standing in the middle of the street, trying to stay away from buildings, with fear rife on their faces.”

Sam relates tales of a recently widowed man who lost his son, daughter-in-law and unborn grandchild in one of the quakes; another about a young girl who felt sad her house was gone, happy her family all survived, but also guilty some of her school-aged friends had died.

“It was her smile, however, that kept me going when hearing more and more heartbreaking stories.”

Sam is using the power of play to bring the sound of laughter back to the traumatised villages.

“I am speaking with teachers about the importance of play for children, as well as other activities such as singing and dancing and the role this can play in the recovery from trauma.

“In basic terms, encouraging kids to be kids and creating a stress-free, safe environment to do this in.” 

It is a far cry from her life in Bendigo, where she had been working part-time at St Luke’s and completing a masters in social work.

She had hip replacement surgery at 23, but recovered to travel to far-flung corners of the world, including Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Borneo. 

Sam is now staying in a village in Sindhupalchowk that has no electricity and no liveable houses.

But it is populated by “the most amazing families” who motivate and encourage her to continue her voluntary aid work.

She has pushed her French adventure back to late July, but vows she will return to Nepal again next year to visit her new friends and undertake more breath-taking hikes.

“I have heard some incredibly sad and terrible stories, but the strength of the Nepali people and the support of my friends back home in Australia  is what keeps me strong.” 

First Steps Himalaya is providing stationery and uniforms for local children and is also involved in rebuilding schools using an earthquake-safe method known as earthbag building.

Sam says many of her Bendigo friends have supported their efforts and urged anyone else who would like to help to go to https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/earthquakenepalrelief

The full interview with Sam McMahon is available here: Rebuilding shattered lives