Health Advancement Programs to Serve All

As many of you know, I am running the Berlin Marathon on my 30th birthday this year (September 27th, 2026). I have decided to dedicate my birthday and marathon run towards disaster relief for those affected by the floods in Nepal.

On August 26th, Nepal was hit by a series of flash floods that displaced tens of thousands of people. Following the floods, families face urgent health risks from contaminated water and disrupted sanitation.

One of my incredible global health colleagues, Dr. Ramu Kharel, is the founder of HAPSA, a Nepali-led nonprofit that is responding to sanitation needs that have arisen since the devastating floods.

All funds raised will be donated to HAPSA: https://hapsaglobe.org/team

A little more about HAPSA:

HAPSA is a U.S. 501(c)(3) that has worked for over a decade to strengthen the chain of emergency care in Nepal, from communities and frontline responders to hospitals and health systems.

HAPSA is responding to the floods by assembling and distributing post-disaster sanitation kits containing water-purification, hygiene, menstrual-health, oral-rehydration, and basic health supplies. The team has already assembled 5,000 kits and delivered approximately 2,500 to affected families in coordination with government and local partners.

As immediate relief continues, HAPSA will also assess and respond to other emerging health needs across the flood-affected areas.

Funds raised through this marathon will benefit HAPSA through PayPal Giving Fund and support its ongoing Nepal flood response. Please consider donating or sharing! Every contribution will help affected communities recover with greater safety, health, and dignity. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.

Hello, my name is Dr. Ramu Kharel. I am an emergency medicine physician and the founder of Health Advancement Programs to Serve All (HAPSA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit strengthening emergency care and community disaster preparedness/response in Nepal. I share some difficult news today, and I hope we can work together to help the people affected.

On 26 August, a devastating flash flood struck Rasuwa and communities downstream along the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli corridor, destroying homes, roads, and bridges. While government rescue operations are still underway, we are preparing for what comes next.

After a flood, safe drinking water is an immediate need.

We know from experience that displaced families lose access to safe drinking water, working latrines, and basic sanitation. These are the post-disaster conditions in which diarrheal disease (and other infectious diseases) spread. Untreated, it can cause fatal dehydration, with children under five being the most vulnerable.

When families are taking shelter in close proximity and drawing from the same contaminated source, one household’s illness becomes an outbreak. A health system already responding to trauma, injury, and displacement cannot absorb a second emergency. Preventing that outbreak is the purpose of our response.

HAPSA's team is already mobilizing a targeted post-flood public health response, working with local distribution partners to reach affected communities. We are assembling 1,000 post-disaster sanitation kits for immediate delivery to families whose homes along the river were destroyed. We will keep assembling and delivering kits as funding allows, while the full scale of need continues to emerge.

The kits include water treatment, hand soap, and rehydration salts. These are the best-evidenced interventions for reducing the risk of illness. We have experience distributing similar post-disaster kits after COVID-19, the 2021 Melamchi floods, and the 2023 Jajarkot earthquake.

Each $12 kit is designed to support a family of 4 with safe drinking water for nearly one month, starting now, when the risk of waterborne illness is highest. The cost includes all listed supplies, assembly, and delivery.

The kits include: chlorine water purifier treatment, sanitary pads, hand soap and sanitizer, dental hygiene supplies, oral rehydration solution packets, paracetamol, health and safety information, and a reusable kit bag that can carry water.

Our goal of $50,000 funds the first batch of kits and lets us keep going. Kits are being packed today, ahead of funding. We expect the need to grow as assessments reach the communities still cut off.

The Government of Nepal and the Office of the Prime Minister are also collecting contributions on their official relief platform for the broader national flood response. Contributions made through this GoFundMe will specifically support the family health and sanitation kit response described above.

Thank you so much.

Ramu Kharel, MD, MPH

Emergency Medicine & Public Health Specialist

Founder and Lead Strategist, HAPSA

https://hapsaglobe.org · https://instagram.com/hapsanepal

See our previous Melamchi flood response:

https://hapsaglobe.org/projects/melamchi-flood-relief-2021