On April 25 and May 12 of 2015, two earthquakes of 7.8 and 7.3 magnitudes, respectively, severely damaged approximately 40 percent of Nepal. Currently, many people are continuing to suffer due to a humanitarian crisis, which has left nearly 824,000 homes destroyed and millions of people displaced. Despite such a large amount of devastation and a lack of aid, there is plenty of information regarding how to help people in Nepal.

1. Spread the word
   Narayan Adhikari, the leader of Nepal’s Accountability Lab, told Aljazeera that the Nepali
   government’s reconstruction goals have not been met due to “poor coordination
   between government and donors, a lack of understanding of local concerns, and a dearth of civic engagement.”Social media is a great resource for people who wish to help aid disaster relief in Nepal, because various platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram drive civic engagement. In fact, one of the easiest ways to help people in Nepal is to spread the word about the slow reconstruction process following the devastating earthquakes.Social media platforms may be conveniently utilized in order to educate more people regarding Nepal’s humanitarian crisis, and then, an increased awareness and passion may spark a quicker reconstruction process.For instance, according to the British Red Cross, Facebook draws the most traffic from Nepal’s
   Internet users, and specifically, the Nepal Red Cross Society page is extremely useful for disaster relief updates and information regarding how to help people in Nepal.
2. Support nongovernmental organizations
   Mercy Corps reported that the earthquakes displaced roughly 2.8 million people. However, only
   a small percentage of those affected by the earthquakes have received funds due to the Nepali
   government’s slow disbursement process.There are many organizations that are dedicated to ensuring that the people of Nepal affected by the earthquakes receive the proper help necessary including Hands for Help Nepal and HELP NEPAL Network.
3. Volunteer abroad
   Adhikari reported that destroyed roads and a lack of clean water and food due to the effects of the earthquakes are continuing to plague Nepali citizens. AmeriCorps and Habitat for Humanity are examples of national community service organizations that employ people in order to rebuild areas like Nepal that are in need of disaster relief.These organizations require a lot of commitment; however, they are great resources for people who want to dedicate their time to help people in Nepal.

All in all, the 2015 earthquakes devastated a great amount of Nepal’s land, roads, houses and
people. However, Nepal’s problems are by no means incurable. People can help people in
Nepal in a great variety of manners to ensure that the people there can return to lives of normalcy and prosperity as soon as possible.

– Emily Santora

Photo: Flickr