On April 25, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck near Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu. The massive tremor left more than eight thousand dead and an estimated 23,000 injured and homeless. IRT responded. Working with our local partners, we provided emergency kits for 3,000 families in the three most severely hit districts of Nepal.
Goma Maajhi and her family were among those devastated by the disaster. She and her family were barely making ends meet before the earthquake hit, with income from fishing, farming, and livestock. The quake and subsequent aftershocks destroyed Goma’s home and stored grain supplies, leaving her and her family without food or shelter. With an emergency shelter and hygiene kit from IRT, Goma was able to build a temporary shelter for her family, giving her a foundation on which to rebuild her life and livelihood.
IRT also enabled approximately 10,000 students to continue their education by providing financing for 392 temporary classrooms for 47 public schools in seven hard-hit communities in the Dolakha district, which was the epicenter of the second powerful earthquake. The earthquake made existing classrooms unsafe, and the temporary structures are enabling schoolchildren to continue their education without interruption throughout the monsoon season. IRT also replaced lost and damaged educational materials, including blackboards and other classroom accessories.
Since 1988, International Relief Teams has deployed 405 disaster relief teams, involving 2,328 volunteers, to aid victims of disaster worldwide. More than $89 million in emergency medicines and supplies have been delivered to those in desperate need.
We are grateful to our supporters for making it possible to help the Nepalese people recover from the devastation caused by the earthquakes.