Campaign by Story
NEPAL FLASH FLOOD APPEAL
What has happened?
On August 26th, a severe flash flood swept down through the Bhote Koshi river in northern Nepal causing loss of life and crippling the infrastructure of communities located along the river.
Triggered by a glacial collapse in neighbouring Tibet, mud, ice and rock fell in to the river causing a torrent that swept through Tibet, in to Nepal down through the Rasuwa district reaching communities as far as Chitwan, some 120+ miles away. The volume of water and topography combined to make a raging surge that is estimated to have moved at close to 140 miles an hour in the upper reaches. The river swelled to 10 times its natural flowing size and in places, communities 100 metres above the normal river level were engulfed.
The damage has been catastrophic - whole communities and have been swept away whilst the infrastructure of roads, bridges and power, so vital in such mountainous terrain have been severed, hampering the relief efforts.
How is School in a Bag responding?
School in a Bag have been working in Nepal since 2012 in association with our brilliant partners Helambu Education Livelihood Appeal (HELP), lead by Jimmy Lama. To date, through HELP, School in a Bag have distributed 26,459 SchoolBags to children in 297 schools across 29 districts with over 1,300 of these in the flash flood affected Rasuwa district.
Jimmy and his team have visited Rasuwa to see the impact first hand and assess where we can collectively address the need beyond the emergency response phase. Such evidence and contact with the correct authority and relief organisations in the field are vital to ensure that duplication in aid is minimised. Jimmy also spent time with survivors and writes:
Our team moved through the affected zone from Trishuli Dhunge Bazar down to Devighat — the furthest point reachable by road, beyond which bridge destruction makes vehicle travel impossible. We watched residents returning to their homes — not to live, but to dig — searching beneath the mud for documents, valuables, and savings kept in cash. One of the most quietly devastating things we witnessed is the division the river has imposed on communities. A family could have been separated by the flood — one member on the east bank, another on the west — with no way to reach each other except by helicopter. People are waiting on opposite sides of a river that took everything, hoping to at least see each other.
Along the route we spoke with teachers, homeowners, renters, local government representatives, and many flood survivors. They were visibly shaken — many in a state of shock that had not yet resolved into grief. And yet almost everyone expressed a quiet readiness to move forward. The desire to keep living was present even where the path was not. The need for psychosocial support was palpable, particularly among children and those who have lost a breadwinner.
Several holding centres have been established for families who escaped with their lives and nothing more. As days pass and the hope of finding more survivors fades, the energy around these centres shifts. The people inside them are beginning to understand that this is not a pause in their lives. It is a rupture.
HELP has identified a three-track immediate, short-term and long-term response with School in a Bag committed to supporting the short-term effort.
Short-Term Education Recovery:
SchoolBags and vital education resources for 3,000 students across Rasuwa and Nuwakot, including a year's supply of teaching resources for their teachers. For a child returning to school after losing their home, school and posessions, arriving with a full SchoolBag is not a small thing — dignity matters enormously at moments when everything else has been stripped away.
The Additional Needs provided by SchoolBags following Disasters:
Alongside the physical damage, disasters also cripple the normal day-to-day livelihood routine for families and communities in which schools (and the provision of education) occupy a significant proportion of a child’s life. Re-establishing routine is extremely important post disaster and SchoolBags play a vital role in enabling this, even when schools, resources and equipment has been lost. The SchoolBags and their resources enable children and teachers to continue education, even if the conditions are temporary as we witnessed following the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal where children were taught in Temporary Learning Centres (TLCs).
We also know first hand that children will have witnessed atrocity during this disaster and often are unable to communicate their anxiety and grief verbally. SchoolBags and their contents can therefore provide a vital outlet for children to write, draw and express their feelings.
The Target
Jimmy has identified a need for 3,000 SchoolBags for affected school communities in the Rasuwa district. The SchoolBags will be put together implementing our ‘In Country’ method whereby the rucksacks and contents will be sourced locally in Kathmandu using funding transferred by School in a Bag. We will phase funding so that progress can begin very quickly and Jimmy and his team will report back to us following the SchoolBag distributions.
Thank you in advance for any contribution you can provide.
Team School in a Bag