Wedged between China and India, the small country of Nepal consists of nearly 30 million individuals. In 2015, the country was devastated by an earthquake that took the lives of nearly 9,000 people, and left close to 4 million in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. The earthquake also destroyed the nation’s infrastructure and homes, setting back economic development significantly. Despite the devastation that occurred, many organizations provided humanitarian aid to Nepal and many of their efforts have proven to be successful. While many organizations showed their support, the work of two key organizations has been transformative to the lives of the Nepalese.

CARE

CARE has been present in Nepal since 1978. Its work has been focused on food security, HIV/AIDS prevention, improving health, education and water sources. It also works to empower young girls and women. When the earthquake struck in 2015, CARE was one of the first organizations that was able to provide humanitarian aid to Nepal. It provided immediate assistance to 10,000 Nepalese with shelter and materials to thousands of others to repair their homes. CARE also distributed water purification tablets, built emergency latrines and provided the Nepalese with hygiene essentials.

Following natural disasters, it is common to see incidents of gender-based violence increase. As part of its humanitarian aid to Nepal, CARE created friendly spaces where women can seek protection, have access to information, education, support and various services. Its work with women has helped to empower many Nepalese women.

To date, CARE has provided humanitarian aid to over 130,000 Nepalese and it is estimated that by the early months of 2018 it will assist another 100,000 people.

Save the Children

Save the Children has worked in Nepal since 1976. The primary goal of its work is to partner with local communities and organizations to design sponsorship programs for kids. These sponsorship programs work to ensure that children have access to education and have the necessary tools to be successful in their education. Some of these tools include access to food, water and sanitation products.

While its work is geared towards assisting children, through providing access to education, Save the Children was also prepared to provide humanitarian assistance to Nepal following the earthquake. In 2016, the organization gave over 1 million children vital nourishment, helped nearly 25,000 families feed their children and supported more than 210,000 children in crisis.

While thousands of children and families have received services and support from Save the Children, its humanitarian aid to Nepal still continues. Many schools have been rebuilt following the earthquake, yet there seems to be a disparity in the number of children who are currently attending. Its current efforts are geared towards getting children back into school and giving them the necessary tools to live a healthy life.

Humanitarian aid to Nepal has been extremely successful. Thousands of Nepalese have been provided with the necessary items, tools and support to rebuild their lives following the earthquake. However, there are many regions of the country that have received little to no support and are still in need. Organizations should continue to provide humanitarian aid to Nepal and other organizations should join the efforts to reduce poverty in the country.

 – Sarah Jane Fraser

Photo: Flickr