On April 25, 2017, we mark the second anniversary of the deadly earthquake that struck Nepal. Its toll was huge, killing nearly 9,000 people, injuring 20,000 more and destroying more than 600,000 homes. A second earthquake hit on May 12, causing more damage and casualties. Together, the suffering they caused is incalculable.
Your support has made possible a relief response that began almost immediately and a recovery process that is ongoing.
Lutheran World Relief (LWR) was already working in Nepal with existing development programs close to the epicenter, and we mobilized our emergency response within the first 24 hours after the first earthquake hit.
In the immediate aftermath, LWR Nepal staff, in cooperation with our local partner, the Committee for the Public Awareness and Development Studies (COPPADES), distributed food packs, Quilts, Personal Care Kits, water filtration units, tarpaulins and corrugated galvanized iron sheets to affected families most in need. In the months that followed, we carried out our early recovery and livelihood activities, including cash-for-work, seed and livestock distributions, and improved agriculture and livestock skills trainings. In addition to collaborating with COPPADES in the Lamjung District, we have worked with a second local organization, the Shree Swanra Integrated Community Development Center (SSICDC), in the Gorkha District.
Today, despite well-documented delays caused by internal political issues, the process of recovery has come a long way, and continues as families work with local government officials and organizations like LWR to build permanent houses designed to withstand future earthquakes.
Thanks to your support, houses are being completed in several poor, rural and isolated villages in the Lamjung and Gorkha districts, located about 48 miles (77 kilometers) northwest of Kathmandu. Families displaced by the earthquake once again have a dwelling they can call home.
Your gift will ensure LWR is there when and where people need us.