Earthquake Relief in Nepal

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.