Nepal: Our response

Together with our Nepalese partners Operation Orphan has been able to feed approximately one thousand people for a week @£1.35 per person.

This includes purchasing the food and the logistics required to deliver it directly to their village. All of these families live in remote areas in the mountains and had not received any relief prior to this. The charity also distributed blankets, hats, gloves, tents and did some first aid.

Effective shelter that will handle the Monsoon season ahead is the urgent need. To help keep children safe, warm and healthy, Operation Orphan plans to purchase and distribute corrugated metal sheets to families with no shelter or currently living under plastic or tarpaulins. Families whose houses had metal roofs have used their existing sheets to quickly erect a temporary shelter. Because of this many have been able to begin the task of clearing and rebuilding.

Our teams are currently surveying the target areas, compiling the names of families who:

1. Have no house

2. Have no steel sheets from their original house

3. Have children

The cost to purchase and distribute 18 3×12 steel roofing sheets directly to each family is £100. (£85 for the steel and £15 for the logistics) Even though it is more expensive than tents the charity believes this is a prudent and effective approach for the following reasons.

1. The product is manufactured in Nepal, is readily available and can be quickly distributed to many affected families living in remote but accessible areas.

2. It will provide effective shelter from the monsoons and can be quickly erected using local resources.

3. It is both a short and long term solution requiring only a single investment.

4. Families can rebuild the walls of their houses whilst living in the temporary metal shelter.

5. Once the walls are built each family will already have the most expensive part of the house and can complete their homes.

6. It will hopefully inspire and encourage the families to begin rebuilding as they won’t need to find the cash to purchase the roof.

Finally after the monsoon season Operation Orphan will be sending expeditions to Nepal to distribute winter clothing and offer practical assistance to help families prepare for winter. This will be subject to conditions being favourable for the safety of the team and objectives been able to be met.

Please email globalexpeditions@operation-orphan.org to register your interest in the expedition.