Update on Nepal Relief Efforts
A Message from Dr. Carolyn Woo, President and CEO, Catholic Relief Services:
It’s hard to believe that it’s been a month since a massive earthquake and numerous aftershocks shook Nepal, killing more than 8,000 people. A second earthquake, less than 3 weeks later, caused even more deaths and landslides.
Looking forward can be overwhelming. The scale of the destruction left many families homeless—some are sleeping out in the cold. Landslides have cut off access to remote villages. And June’s monsoon season is right around the corner.
So many gifts poured in over the past month. Your generosity helped us move relief items quickly and efficiently. We’ve already reached nearly 10,000 households in the Gorkha district, one of the hardest-hit areas, and plan to reach 15,000 families overall. Thanks to your support, people are beginning to feel safe once more.
| Responding to needs on the ground will require collaboration and careful planning. In the coming months, we’ll be prioritizing shelter, blankets, safe water, food, medical care, hygiene and trauma counseling. We also will be ensuring that every family we reach has at last one latrine and one bathing area.CRS is working with Caritas Nepal to distribute water treatment and hygiene kits. And we’re teaching families how to treat their water so they have safe water to drink and cook with.
We’ll soon begin our most important work—supporting long-term recovery. Our motto is “build back better.” This means that if and when another disaster hits, the homes you’ve helped rebuild will stand strong. So much has happened in just 1 month. And your gifts and prayers have made all the difference. In every emergency, you always come through. The people of Nepal thank you!
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