* Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Emergency relief and recovery organisation Medair will be hiking through remote, mountainous areas near the epicentre of the earthquake to reach people cut off from aid assistance.
More than 5,000 people have been confirmed dead since the huge 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, and more than 10,000 have been left injured. According to the UN, more than eight million people have been affected by the crisis.
Medair is working closely with established partners to identify remote and unreached villages in Sindhupalchowk, a mountainous district north of Kathmandu. Many villages near the quake’s epicentre are feared to have been left devastated, with no aid yet reaching people in need. Medair’s emergency response team has been sleeping in tents since arriving in the country’s capital on Monday, 27 April, and will continue to camp in remote locations while travelling to reach the most vulnerable communities.
“We’re doing everything we can to reach remote villages, and we plan to travel out tomorrow,” said Joel Kaiser, Medair’s Emergency Response Team Leader in Kathmandu. “Road access is problematic at this time because of heavy rain and landslides. Once we reach the more remote, mountainous areas, we’ll leave our vehicles and hike with our porters, carrying relief items for several hours to get to the villages. It’s physically demanding and the circumstances are extreme, but we’re eager and motivated to reach these communities. We keep hearing stories about how many people haven’t received any kind of assistance yet, so we’re likely to be the first people they will see.”
Medair will focus on responding to people’s shelter, health, and hygiene needs, and will provide essential household items and shelter relief items. Our team will also provide emergency health kits to the region.
Medair helps people in devastated communities around the world survive crises, recover with dignity, and develop the skills they need to build a better future.
Medair is a member of the Integral Alliance, a global alliance of Christian relief and development agencies.
For media
Interviews, photos, and stories are available upon request in English. For more information, please contact Abigail Woodcock, Press Relations Officer (English) abigail.woodcock@medair.org +41 (0)21 694 84 72 or +41 (0)78 635 30 95
This press release was produced with resources gathered by Medair field and headquarters staff. The views expressed herein are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organisation.
