ChildFund Alliance are responding to provide urgent care and protection for children who’ve lost homes and loved ones in the powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday.
Initial government reports confirm that 30 out of 75 districts in the country have been affected – about 40 per cent of the country. The earthquake was also felt across the region in India, Tibet, China and Bangladesh.
ChildFund staff in Nepal report the situation on the ground is absolutely devastating and the number of people killed, injured and affected by this earthquake continues to rise. As of this morning, more than 2,200 people have been confirmed dead and almost 6,000 injured, with these figures expected to increase as more bodies are uncovered from the rubble.
“There is an urgent need for food, water, medicine and shelter,” says Mariko Tanaka, country director of ChildFund Nepal. “Currently there is no electricity. Communication lines are also down. Many people have been displaced from their homes and have spent the night out in the open. There are many people injured and hospitals are unable to handle the situation.”
ChildFund, which has been working in Nepal for 20 years,is responding in Sindhupalchok district, one of the worst-affected areas. Initial reports from our partner staff estimate 80 per cent of mud houses in the communities have been destroyed. Children and families are now staying outdoors in freezing temperatures and need immediate assistance.
UPDATE 12 MAY 2015
Today’s second earthquake in Nepal was near the town of Namche Bazzar, near Mt. Everest.
The US Geological Survey said it had a magnitude of 7.3.
ChildFund, who are working in Nepal and providing relief to families and communities were in a meeting with 11 members of our partner NGOs from Sindhupalchowk in Kathumandu city when the quake happened.
Fortunately all our staff are safe and they are continuing their much needed work bringing help and hope to others.
UPDATE 29 APRIL 2015
More than 5,000 have been confirmed dead. Numbers of dead and injured are still expected to rise as remote villages are reached by the outside world.
Sindhupalchowk where ChildFund operates is one of the poorest and now hardest hit rural districts after Kathmandu. The district’s death toll is nearly 2,000 with at least 700 injured and people are in desperate need of food, water, shelter and medical assistance. ChildFund is working to get relief supplies to villages here.
The epicentre of the quake was in Lamjung, about 80km from the capital, Kathmandu. Fourteen aftershocks were reported with the intensity ranging from 4.6 to 6.6 in magnitude. According to the UN, it was the worst earthquake to strike the country in more than 80 years.
ChildFund’s primary concern is for the care and protection of children affected by this terrible disaster.