The impact of your support, two years on from the Nepal earthquake

"We felt the earth shake,” Uma recalls of the 2015 Nepal quake. “My brother, Umesh was just in front of me. The stable wall collapsed and I was trapped underneath it. I woke up in hospital, with a strange feeling of loss and in a lot of pain. I was missing one of my legs.” 

“After that, I spent a long time at home in my room, until Jay, a Handicap International physical therapist, came to see me. [After weeks of physical therapy,] I was given an artificial leg and learned to walk again. It changed my life." 

17-year-old Uma was one of many beneficiaries supported by Handicap International following the earthquake that killed more than 8,000 people and injured more than 22,000 on 25th April, 2015. Having worked in the country for 17 years, we took immediate action to help victims. Our team continues its vital work in Nepal today. 

Our donors' impact following the earthquake

• More than 16,000 rehabilitation sessions and psychosocial support sessions delivered to more than 6,000 people in order to prevent permanent disabilities.
• More than 4,700 mobility devices such as wheelchairs and crutches distributed.
• More than 4,300 kits containing tents, kitchen kits, hygiene kits, and roofing equipment distributed to more than 2,200 families.
• Clothing, blankets, ropes, and mattresses distributed to more than 9,000 people during the winter of 2015.
• 5,400 tons of humanitarian equipment was stored in Kathmandu, Dhading and Bidur and more than 350 trips were made for 37 other organizations to isolated communities.
• Raised awareness of other organizations about the importance of including people with disabilities in their own humanitarian services, such as education and healthcare.
• Over 160 households affected by the earthquake have been given goats, providing them with a new source of income. In addition, 294 households have received financial support to help them restart their small businesses.

Our work in Nepal today

Handicap International supports five rehabilitation centers where thousands of Nepalese people receive physical therapy care and orthopedic fitting. The organization is also working to improve rehabilitation services in hospitals located in districts impacted by the earthquake.

The organization helps victims of the earthquake to find new livelihoods, in particular by providing financial support. It also helps people with disabilities to find work, providing them with advice and guidance.

We work with communities and the local authorities to develop emergency relief plans to improve alert and evacuation systems in the event of an emergency. These emergency relief plans take people with disabilities into consideration. The organization is also setting up a mechanism to immediately deploy healthcare professionals (nurses and doctors etc.) to rapidly assist victims in the event of an earthquake.

Handicap International also improves access to schools for children with disabilities. In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, the organization is developing educational materials and tools which are adapted to children with disabilities.

Our work in Nepal goes above and beyond this and wouldn't be possible without the support from donors.