Emergency medical supplies and disaster harm reduction Nepal

In September of 2024 record floods hit the Kathmandu region, thousands were displaced, and hundreds lost their lives. In Bethanchowk, a rural area just outside of the capital, the flooding caused unimaginable devastation. The rains caused catastrophic flooding and landslides. Over 400 homes were destroyed, the water supply contaminated or eliminated entirely and three schools and many other community or government facilities, including the only health clinic in the municipality, were also wiped out.

Based on current climate and hydrometeorological trends, Kathmandu is at significant risk of major floods this monsoon season (June – September), with this in mind it is critical to prepare these communities for this possibility or even likelihood.

This is where you come in.

We are urgently raising funds to provide these areas with emergency medical supplies, basic first aid training and, budget permitting, an evacuation plan in the event of major flooding.

About us.

I'm Ivan, a student at the University of Bristol and I am currently working in Kathmandu for a small non-profit called Himshikhara socio cultural society, this organisation focuses on social development, disaster relief and women's empowerment in and around Kathmandu. After visiting the Bethanchowk area, which was devastated by floods in September of 2024, I have decided to start a project aimed at providing first aid supplies and training to the residents as well as creating an evacuation plan and transport network to ensure the safe and efficient evacuation of the area when it will inevitably be effected by flooding in the near future. Himshikhara has already built and opened up a new water facility in this region however this alone will not adequately mitigate the risks that floods and landslides pose to the people of Bethanchowk. This trip and project was made possible by Turing Funding, a scheme set up to aid students financially towards international educational placements.

The money will be spent on first aid supplies that will be distributed around the community, the creation of safe zones and evacuation points, lastly I will attempt to create some sort of transport system taking those from hazardous areas to safe ones, likely with the use of pickup trucks or 4x4s due to the low quality of the roads and potential obstacles that the flooding may create.

Any money left over from this project will be sent straight on to Himshikhara socio cultural society to aid them in their other endeavours.

I cannot stress enough how deserving these people are of any donations you can afford, I recently was met with unbelievable hospitality, generosity and the warmest welcome one can imagine when I visited the region to unveil the new water facility that Himshikhara have built in the area.

(Quick note about your donation, as GoFundMe has restrictions on which countries can send and receive funds, the donations will be sent to me and then straight from me to the NGO's account, I will upload screenshots of bank transfers as and when they happen.)

Thanks so much!!