Country: Nepal
Location: The districts of Kathmandu, Gorkha and Dolakha.

Beneficiaries: The most vulnerable families who have lost their homes because of the earthquake and children who are orphans.

The Nature of the Project

To assure to that part of the population that has been hit by the earthquake, health-care hygienic kits, kits to produce drinking water, tents and tarpaulins for shelter, food and basic necessities.

The Project

This initiative, as a first stage, envisages meeting immediate needs to assure the survival of people who were struck by the earthquake.

     The principal activities envisage basic health care and treatment, the provision of temporary shelters, and food and other items.

Given the need for emergency shelters, 20,000 kits have been provided for dwellings, each one of which contains a tarpaulin, rope, thread and plastic sheets. The non-food kits contain a bucket, a container, a battery, kitchen utensils, a frying pan and two saucepans. The provision of water concentrates on the distribution of tablets to purify water. During the first three weeks, the team Camillian Task Force (CTF), made up of ten people (medical doctors and nurses), provided medical care to more than 3,000 patients.

For the second stage the following has been planned: psycho-social intervention, for mother-child health and for the taking in and education of children who are orphans.

The Context

    On 25 April an earthquake of the magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale hit Nepal, provoking damage on a large scale and many victims. The epicentre was localised as being 81km to the north-east of the capital Kathmandu in the district of Lamjung at a depth of 15 km. According to the United Nations, it is estimated that 8 million people were struck by the earthquake; at a specific level, 39 districts out of 75. Over 2 million people live in the 11 districts that are affected. The central and western regions, including the neighbourhoods of the Valley of Kathmandu, were the most afflicted, in particular the districts of Dhading, Gorkha, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchowk, Kavre, Nuwakot, Dolakha, Kathmandu, Laliptur, Bhaktapur and Ramechap. In these areas many families live in fragile houses with walls and foundations made out of inadequate material. Many people sleep out of doors, exposed to the cold and the rain. The analysis of secondary data and the mapping of the intensity of the earthquake by the United Nations indicate that more than 160,786 homes were destroyed, 143,673 were damaged and 2.8 million people were displaced.

Caritas Nepal, the Camillian Task Force and the Catholic Relief Service have responded to the emergency and are active in seven districts. The PRO.SA Foundation supports the action of the Camilian Task Force which has created medical camps in the districts of Gorkha and Dolakha to help tens of villages which can be reached only on foot, and aid programmes for children for an orphanage in Shenduli and a help centre and a school in Kathmandu.

THE NEPAL EMERGENCY

A month and a half after the earthquake that afflicted Nepal, the Pro.Sa. Foundation is now setting in motion a stage of intervention focused on help for children. The objective is to help three centres for children who are orphans to return to normality: the Tashi Orphan School which offers accommodation and school programmes to 11 children; the Arjun Orphanage of Shenduli which was completely destroyed, with the 26 children who lived now in emergency tents; and the orphanage of Kathmandu which had 26 children and was partly destroyed.

Unfortunately the mass media have already turned off the spotlights on this humanitarian tragedy and there is the risk that everything will be forgotten about very soon!

A great deal has been done but the population of Nepal still needs us!

Help us to help them!

Bank current account: IBAN  IT 68 J 02008 01600 000102346939

Postal current account: n. 41914243

reference ‘Nepal Earthquake Emergency’

Green number:  800 60 23 30