“You are the first in this district to do such great things for us and provide tin roofs.”
-Village Leader in Nepal
Dear praying friend,
In the aftershocks of the massive earthquakes in Nepal, nearly three million survivors are still in need of shelter, food and basic medical care, according to a recent article from Channel NewsAsia, citing a report from the UN.
Adding to the immediacy of the crisis is Nepal’s monsoon season, which lasts from June to September and is characterized by intense heat and daily downpours. The unceasing rain makes conditions worse on the underdeveloped mountain roads.
The rain also complicates living conditions for families housed in makeshift aid camps. The camps often lack proper drainage, creating standing pools of water that invite disease and dangerous animals around the tents.
People have lost confidence that the Nepal government will be able to help them. “To expect the politicians to come and help us is a myth,” said a 28-year-old truck driver from a village bordering Tibet. “We are forced to live like animals.”
While government aid has been slow to arrive, we have been able to get resources directly into the hands of our Nepalese co-workers on the ground, who have been providing necessities to hundreds of people in affected villages. Our support has also supplied and built sturdy tin-roofed houses that are keeping families dry during these rainy months.
“This is the time to show God’s love to the people,” our co-worker shared. Our help for communities has strengthened relationships with people, planting the seeds for even more work in more villages. “You are the first in this district to do such great things for us and provide tin roofs,” said one village leader in Nepal.
In the wake of the earthquake, our anti-trafficking work in Nepal has taken on a new sense of urgency. The displacement of families, a battered infrastructure and the unchecked movement of people throughout the countryside make Nepal even more dangerous for girls. Traffickers posing as aid workers have been spotted in villages, quietly kidnapping girls who have been orphaned by the earthquake and smuggling them across the border into India. Once the girls are in India, they will be sold to brothels and enslaved in the sex industry.
We have set up an Emergency Response Fund so that you can continue to help women, girls and families as they rebuild their lives and provide for this generation and the future. We are also continuing to monitor the border during this time, rescuing girls and getting them to safety.
Please continue to support the Emergency Response Fund for Nepal by clicking the “Make a Donation” button below and by joining us in praying for this shaken people.
For the forgotten,
Michele Rickett
President & Founder