A FAMILY who lived through Nepal’s earthquakes and decided to stay put, have now raised almost £3,000 to support those affected by the devastation.

Ben van Ooij, Simone Alexander and their two-year-old son Daniel are aiming to raise £10,000 to redevelop and support survivors in Ashapuri – a badly-affected village near their Kathmandu home.

The family were on a break on April 25 when the first earthquake struck Nepal, measuring 7.9 magnitude on the Richter scale.

The married couple, who run a not-for-profit organisation called Herb Nepal, have so far donated shelter and food supplies to residents in the village including, rice, dahl and soap.

Herb Nepal is an organic farm and training centre, based in Ashapuri, and is aimed at producing homeopathic herbs and products with farmers across the country.

A second earthquake sent tremors through Nepal on May 12, measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale.

“The second earthquake has brought more misery and destruction to areas across Nepal - including Kathmandu,” said Simone, who has so far raised £2,855.

“We're now building composting toilets for everyone that lost theirs or had to relocate their house to a new temporary location.

“Using only reused or local materials, local skills and local labour we will prevent diseases to spread and keep the village clean.

"Currently we are building homes out of bamboo and other materials so they are only short term fixes.

"There is so much more fear and people are back to sleeping outside following the second quake, so we are determined to build more earthquake resilient homes once we've finished building temporary shelters."

Simone attended St Gabriel’s High School in Bury and is appealing to her family and friends based in England, to donate and help reach the £10,000 target.

The pair are also educating people about washing their hands and disposing of dead animals to prevent the spread of disease.

Ashapuri, which lies South East of Kathmandu, saw 100 families lose their homes and all food sources and access to clean water following the quake.

To donate to Herb Nepal: go to tinyurl.com/youcaringforashapuri