Disaster Response Nepal Project #20306

Earthquake Relief in Nepal

by International Medical Corps

Project Report | May 25, 2017
Final Report on Earthquake Relief in Nepal

By Kimberly Laney | Resource Development Officer

Sean supports our emergency relief effort in Nepal

International Medical Corps’ earthquake response in Nepal has come to a close. International Medical Corps’ services reached some 765,000 people in its work supporting both the relief and recovery of earthquake-affected populations.

To continue supporting International Medical Corps’ emergency efforts, please visit “A Healthier Future for South Sudan’s Families” project, where our teams are responding to the recently declared famine.

https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/a-healthier-future-for-families-in-south-sudan/

International Medical Corps’ Emergency Earthquake Response in Nepal

“I arrived on the afternoon of April 24, with my friend Claire. The next day, while we were exploring the ancient capital of Bakhtapur along with a Nepalese friend, Ajay, the largest earthquake in more than 80 years hit Nepal. We were almost crushed by a falling building and spent the rest of that day sprinting through Bakhtapur’s narrow streets, running from square to square through the destroyed 800-year-old city, to escape the recurring terror of the aftershocks. We walked for several hours and eventually made our way back to our hotel, which had partially collapsed, and set up camp,” recalls Sean, our Emergency Response Coordinator, who happened to be vacationing in Nepal.

Sean is referring to the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck the country on April 25, 2015. Over 350 4.0 magnitude or greater aftershocks hit in the months that followed, including a 7.3 magnitude quake and 6.3 magnitude quake on May 12, 2015. Some eight million people were affected – about the populations of Boston, Chicago, Paris and Dubai combined.

Sean continues, “That same evening, we started mobilizing International Medical Corps’ response. We were joined by a handful of strangers-cum-friends who shared our campsite and who wanted to help. Over the days that followed, more staff and volunteers arrived, and our response scaled up; we chartered helicopters to reach the most remote villages, and we worked to bring safe water and sanitation facilities to displaced persons living in camps in Kathmandu and in destroyed villages around the epicenter.”

Since the start of our response, we have partnered with local actors to address needs in more than 140 villages and municipalities across 12 districts to build back stronger. During the two years which followed, together we supported more than 115,000 people with access to physical therapy care, reached some 17,000 men, women, and children with hygiene promotion activities to prevent disease, established 7 stabilization centers to support more than 210,000 children with nutrition and medical care, provided mental health and psychosocial support services for some 3,000 people, educated 8,700 community members on sexual and reproductive health, and more.

With your generous and timely support and support from other donors, between April 2015 and May 2017, we reached some 765,000 people men, women, and children with relief and recovery services following the quake in Nepal. We thank you for your continued support as we work to assist those in urgent need anywhere, anytime, no matter what the conditions.

Reconstruction at Dharmasthali Health Post

Physical therapy services (taken by Omar Havana)

Permalink

Feb 27, 2017
Mental Health in Nepal: One Man's Journey after Losing His Family

By Lori Brister | Resource Development Officer

Shambu stands in front of his home today

On April 25^th, 2015, Shambu boarded an early morning bus to attend a training in Kathmandu, Nepal. He remembers the moment the ground started shaking, how the bus came to a halt, and how all the passengers were screaming and crying. When the earthquake stopped, he tried to get back to his village, Mulpani, but the destruction made travel almost impossible. Then Shambu received a message from a friend that his home had collapsed and that much of the village was levelled. When he finally made it back home, he saw people crying and digging in the rubble for loved ones. He started to do the same, and with his neighbors, they found the bodies of Shambu’s wife, son, and nephew.

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake was one of the strongest to ever strike Nepal, and over 350 aftershocks of 4.0 magnitude or higher continued to rock the country for weeks, including a major 6.3 earthquake on May 12^th. Some 8,000,000 people were affected, and 1,147 health facilities were destroyed or damaged. Within hours, International Medical Corps’ Emergency Response Team was on the ground, and in the weeks that followed, we provided 4,547 health consultations. Our mobile medical units traveled by foot, car, donkey and even helicopter to reach 27 remote villages.

The day after the earthquake, Shambu and his neighbors buried his family, along with the 19 other residents lost in the earthquake, and then he started working to help his village recover. Shambu knew first-hand about the struggle with grief and psychological pain following the disaster, so he volunteered as a community psychosocial worker. Along with our implementing partners in Nepal, our teams have provided mental health and psychosocial support services to 2,881 Nepali men and women, and more than 9,300 people participated in psychosocial activities to improve well-being. Our teams also provided 78 health facilities with psychotropic medications and integrated mental health services to help the people of Nepal recover from the long-lasting effects of the earthquake.

Nearly two years since the earthquake, Shambu continues to experience overwhelming feelings of loneliness, and he has nightmares about his wife and son, but his formal training and experience as a community psychosocial worker help him get through the hard times. He has learned valuable coping methods, and he realizes the contributions that he’s making to his community’s recovery.

International Medical Corps would like to thank the GlobalGiving community for your continued support of the people of Nepal.

Practicing relaxation techniques

Shambu training community health volunteers

Permalink

Dec 1, 2016
Improving Nutrition for Children

By Lori Brister | Resource Development Officer

Kapana holds her daughter, Kumari, for a check-up

Kumari was only five months old when her mother, Kapana, brought her to an International Medical Corps nutrition center in Nepal. Kumari was born with a cleft lip and palate, which made breastfeeding difficult. Kapana knew that Kumari was smaller than most children her age, but she did not realize that her daughter had developed severe acute malnutrition, a condition which can cause physical and mental development disorders. Kapana said, “I would have never known my child was suffering from malnutrition if this program had not come to our community.”

Kumari was not yet born when the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, but her country is still reeling from the effects. In the months that followed, the people of Nepal experienced hundreds of aftershocks, including two major earthquakes in May 2015, causing further damage to infrastructure and services. An estimated 1 in 8 homes were damaged or destroyed, and over 1,000 health facilities were damaged or destroyed. Mothers and babies had very little access to prenatal and postnatal care, and young children were especially vulnerable to malnutrition. To make matters worse, the earthquakes and subsequent landslides destroyed crops and affected the delivery of essential health and nutrition services throughout the country.

International Medical Corps was on the ground within hours of the Nepal earthquake, providing emergency health care and psychosocial support, as well as operating mobile medical units to reach even the most remote communities. More than a year later, we continue to work with local partners to treat severe malnutrition and related medical complications. Our nutrition teams operate 7 nutrition stabilization centers across Nepal, and, as a result, more than 200,000 children under five years-old have increased access to nutrition care.

For severely malnourished children like Kumari, our nutrition centers identify children who are at risk for malnutrition or who are already malnourished; work with mothers to stabilize weight loss and learn healthy feeding practices; and offer nutrition support and feedings to help children reach a healthy weight. Our nutrition support programs and regular checkups help children live happier, healthier lives. Kapana said, “The care I received from International Medical Corps made a real difference for Kumari and taught me a lot about proper care.”

We would like to thank the GlobalGiving community for your support as International Medical Corps helps Nepal build back stronger.

Our teams operate 7 nutrition centers in Nepal

Young children have a higher risk of malnutrition

Permalink

1 2 3 4 5 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.