Nepal is facing a devastating second wave of the Corona pandemic and has called for international help. The hospitals are full, there are not enough ventilators and, due to insufficient social security, families' whose breadwinners fall ill or die are facing a no income situation. More remote villages will also be cut off from food supplies as we have seen during the first wave.
Nepal is dependent on it's big neighbor India for most of it's medical supplies. With India stopping exports of oxygen due to the worsening situation there, Kathmandu is now struggling to find alternative supplies.
There is no improvement in sight. On the contrary: The Ministry of Health said this week that the test rate is currently 50%, meaning every 2nd person tested is positive. The rate is particularly high in the south on the border with India, where workers come home and in order to avoid the quarantine (and thus loss of workforce/income) will avoid being tested.
To make matters worse, the President of Nepal lost his vote of confidence on Monday after months of crisis in the government, i.e. it is unclear who / when a new government will be formed.
Nepal has suspended its vaccination program because it no longer has a vaccine.
If you think it can't get much worse: since state aid is organized on the basis of the electoral roll and the lowest casts are not listed there, they are exempt from any state aid.
We work with local helpers to bring help directly to affected areas and those most in need. We provide support to those who otherwise would not get any help. Our aid packages consist of simple hygiene products (soap, disinfection liquid, masks) and we also prepare our "Emergency Food Parcels" (rice, lentils, oil, salt for 14 days).
