Nepal Earthquake Victims Need Help NOW

A powerful earthquake has rocked Nepal affecting thousands of families. Oxfam is there now and urgently need help to provide clean water, sanitation and emergency food support.

England, UK – April 29, 2015 /PressCable/ —

Let’s join hands in helping the earthquake victims of Nepal.

A powerful earthquake has rocked Nepal. More than 4,300 people have been reported killed and thousands more injured. The exact figure is still uncertain at this stage but is continuing to rise.

Oxfam is there now and needs an urgent help to provide clean water, sanitation and emergency food support.

So far 8 million people across the country are affected by the disaster. 34,000 people are reportedly living out in the open in makeshift camps – too scared to return to their homes. Many buildings are still unsafe. There are currently 16 camps in the Kathmandu Valley identified by government, nine in KHT, four in Lalitpur and three in Bhaktapur. According to the UN Resident Coordinator’s report, hospitals are overcrowded in Kathmandu valley and running short of emergency supplies.

After a disaster such as this clean water, emergency food and sanitation are crucial, Oxfam is currently working with other agencies in Nepal to provide water and sanitation to those affected. Oxfam aims to provide aid to at least 350,000 people and have already begun work in four camps delivering clean water and toilets. Oxfam’s response team from India have arrived in Gorkha, one of the worst affected areas, and begun assessing the level of need in the villages.

Outside the Kathmandu Valley, Oxfam teams have left for the remote Sinhdupalchowk region to begin assessing needs and are also aiming to reach Lamjung in the coming days.

More than 5 tonnes of water and sanitation materials have been dispatched from Oxfam’s warehouse in Barcelona to help those hit by the crisis.

When water supplies are damaged the chance of disease increases. Oxfam is currently establishing water provision in two of the 16 sites set up by the government in the Kathmandu. The plan is to eventually coordinate with other agencies to provide water to all the 16 sites and to 30,000 people there. Oxfam has many years’ experience in providing water and sanitation. We will be assessing the needs at Lalitpur camp to decide how best to help, what type and how many temporary toilets need building.

Many of the houses in Lalitpur are still intact but given the aftershocks many people are too scared to stay indoors. Oxfam has also mobilized a response team from India, who are making their way to Gorkha, one of the worst affected areas.

The scale and cost of the response is still being assessed but what is clear is that help is needed now. Nepal is one of the world’s poorest countries and does not have the infrastructure and resources to deal with a crisis of this magnitude. Half of the 28 million people in Nepal don’t have access to improved sanitation and live below the poverty line, around one in three of them in severe poverty. The ability to cope with a major disaster is crippled by the lack of economic and social infrastructure that people in richer nations take for granted. Many thousands of Nepalese are going to need a great deal of help.

For more information about us, please visit https://fundraiseforoxfam.everydayhero.com/uk/Joinhandsfornepal

Contact Info:
Name: Oxfam International
Email: jo3rd@icloud.com
Organization: Oxfam UK

Release ID: 80724