Dhanyantari Futsal has catered to close to 1,800 people till date, with some 10 families still spending the night on the turf. In the initial days of the aftermath of the earthquake, the Samaj also provided lunch and dinner to about 300 people, a midday meal of beaten rice and stew, tea and 60 to 70 jars of water every day.

“People from neighbouring settlements and their relatives have chosen to stay at the futsal ground as it is safe,” said the chairman of Dhanyantari Futsal, Madan Koirala. Koirala, who is also the vice-chairman of the Dhanyantari Samaj, said the futsal arena has proper toilets, a 20 kVA generator, water and an open ground surrounded by a wire fence.

According to Koirala, a team of four to five volunteers from the samaj stay at the futsal venue all night to provide security and help the people, while a different team performs patrol duty, in coordination with the police, around the neighbourhood to prevent possible robberies. All of the expenses of this operation are borne by members of the society. “All of us made contributions whenever the need arose, without maintaining accounts,” said Koirala.