Give the Terai time to get out.

In Bisanpur, a village in Nepal's Kailali district, the river rose fast. But this time, people knew it was coming. A warning system set up with Mercy Corps gave families time to prepare. The flood took some farmland. Preparation saved lives and property.

Thousands of Terai families still aren't covered. Your gift helps change that.

Why the Terai floods every monsoon

The Terai is Nepal's flat southern farmland, and it's home to 54% of Nepal's people. When monsoon rain hits the mountains, the rivers spill out onto these plains. Kailali, one Terai district, has flooded 71 times in the last 32 years.

This year was worse. The August 2026 Bhote Koshi flood killed more than 1,400 people, and over 5,200 are still missing. About 6 in 10 of the bodies were found downstream in Chitwan and Nawalparasi, both Terai districts.

Early warning works

A river gauge spots rising water. An alert goes out by text, siren, or voice call. Families move children, older relatives, livestock, and grain to safety.

On August 26, about 35 minutes after the flood entered Nepal, 679,295 text alerts went out to riverbank communities. At one school in Bidur, the alert came during morning assembly, and all 1,650 students were moved to high ground. Upstream, the flood destroyed the river gauges before they could send an alert, and the water hit Syabrubesi in about 10 minutes with no warning at all. Where there was time and a working system, people got out.

But it doesn't reach everyone

In one study, 97% of people who saved property said one more hour of warning would have saved more. Local disaster budgets are smaller than what's needed, and more families keep settling along Terai rivers. This is a funding gap, and that's something we can help close.

Who we're supporting

Every dollar goes to Prosper Global (formerly Mercy Corps), a verified 501(c)(3). They've worked in Nepal since 2005, helped build flood warning systems in Kanchanpur and Kailali, and are running an early warning project in the Terai right now called SAAN, which has reached 1,307 of 1,872 target households. 86% of their spending goes to programs. We'll ask Prosper Global to use our gift for its Nepal flood work.

What your gift can do

The World Meteorological Organization estimates every $1 spent on early warning can save up to $15 in losses.

• $10 can help prevent up to $150 in flood losses

• $25 can help prevent up to $375 in flood losses

• $50 can help prevent up to $750 in flood losses

• Our $1,500 goal can help prevent up to $22,500 in flood losses

A warning means time to get kids and grandparents to a safe house, time to save cash, livestock, and grain, and time to store food on upper floors so there's something to eat after the water goes down.

Who we are

We're Gaurav Chapagain, Bennett Cherveny, and Chris Taylor, students at TCU in Fort Worth. Our goal is to raise $1,500 from 75 donors by December 3, 2026. We'll post weekly updates with dollars raised and days left.

Every monsoon is a deadline. Please give and share: #WarningBeforeTheWater

Donations to this charity fundraiser are processed by PayPal Giving Fund and delivered to Prosper Global.