Students and faculty take part in a vigil on April 28, 2015, in memory of the people who lost their lives in the earthquake that hit Nepal.

A phone call woke up Sindhu Bastakoti at 4 a.m. on Saturday. Her grandfather, calling from Kathmandu, Nepal, told the freshman Spanish major that an earthquake had struck the capital city, but she should remain calm and keep up with the news.

Another earthquake broke up their call, and she didn’t hear from him again until yesterday morning.

“He said after the earthquake, everybody got scared. Everybody ran out and they just sat down; they were outside all day,” Bastakoti said. “They didn’t want to go home because the buildings were just collapsing right and left, so they didn’t want to be inside.”

Bastakoti, who was born and raised in Nepal, has yet to hear from her cousin or many of her close friends.

To show solidarity for those affected by Saturday’s earthquake in Nepal, now with a confirmed death toll of more than 4,000, about 70 students, including Bastakoti, gathered for a candlelight vigil last night on McKeldin Mall, sponsored by this university’s Iota Nu Delta fraternity chapter.

Students lined the Omicron Delta Kappa fountain with candles, listened as community members shared their stories and participated in a moment of silence to honor the earthquake’s victims.

“Out of 3,500 people, you can be as optimistic as you want, but one of your loved ones are bound to be in that number,” Bastakoti said.

The organizers also collected donations to send to Sakriya, a grassroots organization with offices in Nepal near the earthquake’s epicenter.

“They have expertise and know-how that an international organization just doesn’t have,” said Faizan Ali, a fraternity member who helped organize the event. “They can reach remote areas and individuals more effectively than a bigger organization, so we thought that would be the best way to help the people there.”

The tragedy has sparked activism from the Nepalese community in College Park, which Saurav Sharma, a sophomore enrolled in letters and sciences, estimates at about 25 students.

Sharma, who is Nepalese, formed the group Maryland Students Stand with Nepal to help facilitate donations to the disaster-torn country, which he heard will take more than a decade to rebuild.

“We wanted to have something long-term that goes on for a long time so we can help to rebuild the country,” Sharma said. “Not just money but long-term relief. If someone wishes to go there and help we will provide information, if they want to donate clothes or medicine.”

The group has created a Facebook page with more than 120 likes and is waiting for approval from Stamp Student Union before hosting its first event, which members expect will be an ice cream drive.

Bastakoti is working to start a Nepalese Students Association to bring together the Nepalese community on the campus as they work to heal from the tragedy. Many of them grew up in Nepal and still have family in the South Asian country, she said.

Sanjeeb Khanal, a junior economics major, lived in Nepal until he graduated high school. His parents live in Kathmandu, and he said they have slept in a car with his grandparents for the past three nights.

Khanal said it is “heartwarming” to see everyone uniting to help the people of Nepal, but he remains nervous and calls his parents every day to make sure they are safe.

“The situation is very stressful; I haven’t been able to concentrate on studying for finals,” Khanal said. “This week has been really tough for me.”