April 27 2015

SOS Nepal emergency teams now active in four areas

As many as one million Nepali children have been affected by the earthquake. SOS Children's Villages is running relief camps, providing food and shelter, and will soon open a first child friendly space.

Two days following the earthquake, SOS Children’s Villages is providing relief services in four locations in Nepal.

Relief Camps in Dhulukhel/Kavre, Byashi/Bhaktapur and Khokana/Lalitpur are under the care of SOS Children's Villages. In addition, SOS Children's Village Jorpati is providing relief services in Kathmandu.

Seven SOS Children’s Villages are within 50 km of the area hardest hit by the earthquake. Miraculously, no SOS co-workers or children from the SOS villages were injured. Infographic: SOS Children's Villages

A first SOS Child Friendly Space was being set-up with the help of teachers from SOS Children’s Village Kavre.

Young people from SOS Children’s Villages distributed food, prepared by SOS mothers and the young people, to victims of the earthquake.
 
Co-workers distributed and helped set-up tents for 150 people in the Bhaktapur city area, six kilometers from SOS Children’s Villages Sanothimi.
 
“There are three SOS Children’s Villages in the Kathmandu Valley, and all of them are open for children in need. Right now the children need emergency relief, protection, shelter, food and medical care..." said SOS Children’s Villages Nepal National Director Shankar Pradhananga.
 
SOS co-workers are in the field now assessing emergency needs in other affected locations, with plans to increase relief services in the coming days.
 
According to UNICEF as many as one million children in Nepal have been 'severely affected' by the earthquake, with increased vulnerability to hunger and infectious disease. Many have also lost parents and family.

"In the long term we will try to reunite [unaccompanied children] with their parents or family. If that is not possible, they will have a new home in one of our 10 Children’s Villages in Nepal. Here, many children were already vulnerable before the earthquake, due to poverty, and now even more children are exposed to the chaos the earthquake has created," said Mr Pradhananga.
 
SOS Children’s Villages has been working in Nepal since 1972 and has programmes that support children and their families in 10 locations in the country.

Since 1988, SOS Children’s Villages has conducted 125 emergency response programmes in 60 countries. Our response is always to ensure that children receive immediate protection and care in a safe and loving environment and, if unaccompanied or separated, are reunited with their families whenever possible.

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