Update: Nepal Relief Efforts
Friends,
The Salvation Army team in Nepal is reaching out to remote communities which have not received outside help. One group headed to Sindhupal, where there is no power, taking shovels and axes to help villagers who are trying to excavate bodies that have been buried in collapsed buildings. The village is very difficult to reach because of landslides and floods caused by the earthquake.
“It took seven hours to drive there after struggling with roads that were uneven, stony and broken due to landslides. After safely arriving we saw that most of the houses were totally damaged and it was hard for the community people to live in them.” said Captain MacDonald Chandi of The Salvation Army International Emergency Services team. “They said they wouldn't want to take the risk of returning to their houses even if they were still standing.”
“Community leaders and a few family members we spoke with shared their sorrow and said that they are very down because they have lost their loved ones. Now they don’t have place to get shelter and they don’t have money to buy anything to cover them. Our assessment showed that there is a desperate need of tents or tarpaulins for people to live in until they can make proper houses.”
The Salvation Army has been asked by the Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) cluster to take on camp management responsibilities. Salvation Army team emergency responders are now working in three camps in Kathmandu and also around their base located outside the capital, managing responsibilities, discussing needs and gaps, and coordinating relief efforts with other organizations. While they wait for the arrival of further supplies including tents, they continue to distribute rice, lentils, cooking oil, salt and water.
Salvation Army personnel received the official permission from the Chief District Officer to work in Durbar Square Camp, which currently hosts approximately 1200 people. A food distribution is also being planned in another camp near the airport. 84 families will receive water, noodles, and small quantities of rice, dhaal, oil and salt.
Monetary donations are the most critical need for survivors. The Salvation Army has set up a designated fund for relief efforts in Nepal. To give, visit salar.my/Nepal or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769). Check donations to Salvation Army World Service Office (designate “Nepal Earthquake”) can be sent to:
International Relief Fund
P.O. Box 418558
Boston, MA 02241-8558
In-kind donations are not being accepted.
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 129 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through a range of social services: food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar spent is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.