A Coventry-based charity is appealing to the public to support an emergency response appeal following the flash flooding in Nepal, which has so far claimed more than 1,300 lives.
Feed The Hungry UK are working with their partners in the stricken area of South Asia to supply food, aid and transportation for hundreds of families who lost of everything in the devastation, last week.
More than 5,000 people are now missing after powerful floodwaters and debris swept through a Himalayan valley, wiping out entire settlements, destroying roads, bridges, buildings and communication lines, and cutting off many remote communities. It is believed to have been triggered by a glacial collapse which registered a tremor with a magnitude of 5.2.
Pastor Ruben Rasaili is running a team on the ground in Nepal to help coordinate Feed The Hungry’s rescue mission, which has been focusing on supply and distribution of food packs, feeding more than 1,200 a day.
Reporting from the flood sites of Nuwakot and Trishuli, he said this week: “I saw thousands of houses swept away, and people crying for help. They don’t have food, they don’t have clothes, they don’t have a place to live. Even now, we are carrying some of the women who have lost their family members – we rescued them, and we’re taking them to Kathmandu to help them. It is such a miserable situation.
“Daily about 20 helicopters are rescuing injured people and dead bodies in north of Kathmandu in Nuwakot and Rasuwa district. More than 18,000 houses have been swept away, and thousands of people have lost everything they have including business, houses, children or family members, cattle, vehicles, everything.”
He added: “Those who survived are finding shelter in a public hall or with some families in the village. We found some families who had been starving for three days, as well as many injured people we are taking to tent hospitals.
“We need to provide food supplies, water aid and so many other necessities that people need to survive so if you would like to get involved, please donate.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Sunday it has released $150,000 from the South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (SEARHEF) to support the needs of the communities impacted by the flash floods which they have described as ‘one of the worst tragedies in the country in recent times.’
Efforts are continuing to rescue workers, potentially in the hundreds, believed to be trapped in Nepalese hydropower tunnels.
Feed The Hungry is an international Christian humanitarian organisation committed to fighting hunger due to poverty, war, famine and natural disasters. The charity works to reduce world hunger by establishing feeding programmes and supporting disaster relief.
With its partner organisations, since 1987, Feed The Hungry have globally assisted in feeding over 650,000 children every day in 30 countries.
Feed The Hungry CEO, Canon Gavin Kibble MBE said: “Nepal is no stranger to catastrophic events. Feed The Hungry UK first became involved with supporting the country after the earthquake of 2015. We have supported Pastor Ruben with his work within the poorest communities by providing support to dig wells, food, and resources to improve many children’s education.
“Eleven years later in face of unimaginable apocalyptic destruction, this partnership has enabled Ruben to be amongst the first on the scene, able to provide food, water and tents. Donations from around the world are providing a lifeline and hope to so many people impacted by this disaster.”
Feed The Hungry are asking for public support:
- £10 could provide a family with rice for a week
- £20 could provide dahl, sugar and cooking oil for a family
- £35 could provide a family with a full package of emergency food and clean water
- £65 could provide an emergency tent for a family who has lost their home
Every gift, large or small, will go directly to help Ruben reach families in Nepal with the basics they need to survive the days and weeks ahead. Donate HERE.
