Nepal: providing emergency supplies to weather the storm

Two months after the first of two massive earthquakes to hit Nepal, an estimated 2.8 million people are still in need of humanitarian assistance and hundreds of thousands of people are living in makeshift shelters, including 117,000 who are living outdoors in tents.

With Nepal now in monsoon season, the country is at high risk of further damage. The earthquakes followed by thousands of aftershocks have caused fractures and weakened rock masses leaving the land and hill slopes highly vulnerable to landslides, especially during monsoon. For families living in Nepal’s remote villages, the next few months will be particularly precarious.

Swasthani (pictured above with her daughter, Ristika) and her family live in Sindhupalchok, one of the worst-hit areas in the country. Their home was completely flattened in the 25 April earthquake. Swasthani’s husband salvaged metal from their local area to build a communal shelter to protect them and their relatives (who also lost their homes) against the monsoonal rains. Three families – 10 people – are currently living in the tin house, which is pictured behind the crumbled remains of Swasthani’s original home.

The World Bank estimates the effects of the disaster will push up to one million people into poverty over the next year – on top of the more than 850,000 people already living below the poverty line in Nepal. These people will become poorer due to loss of homes, income-generation opportunities and assets such as seeds, livestock and household items. ChildFund is helping to provide a safety net for children and their families who are most at risk.