Nepal Earthquake - One Year Later

In the year since the Nepal earthquake that struck on 25 April 2015, SOS Children’s Villages has been on the ground providing humanitarian support for children and families in need. Thanks to the organization’s strong, longstanding presence in Nepal, the SOS Emergency Response Program was implemented within hours and continues to benefit thousands of vulnerable children and their families today.

None of this would be possible without the contributions of countless Canadians who supported this emergency and whose donations to SOS Children’s Villages Canada totaled over $260,000.

Providing care for children and helping families recover

When children are affected by a humanitarian emergency like the one in Nepal, SOS Children’s Villages focuses on keeping children safe and ensuring that they and their families have access to adequate emergency supplies. This past year, more than 200 unaccompanied or separated children were reunited with family members thanks to SOS Children’s Villages’ family reunification programs, and 39 children orphaned by the earthquake have found a loving home in one of our Children’s Villages.

Nepal Earthquake Infographic

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25 SOS Child-friendly spaces were opened in the days and weeks after the earthquake to provide a safe environment for thousands of children affected by the crisis. Today, 7 Child-friendly spaces are still operational and enable parents to focus on tasks that help them find stability while ensuring their children are fed, clothed, and have their essential needs met.

Over the past year, SOS Children’s Villages has provided financial and material support to parents, as well as to those who had to take on added parental responsibilities by welcoming orphaned children into their family.

Families that had lost everything were first provided with blankets, food, hygiene kits, mattresses and other basic household goods to help them start their life over. Now, reconstruction projects to support the rebuilding of family homes that have been damaged or destroyed by the earthquake have begun.

SOS Children’s Villages is also investing in the long term resilience of families through its livelihood programs. These programs help parents restore income and become more self-sustaining thanks to income generating activities and skill development training.

Investing in education for the next generation

Beyond the immediate help provided in the months following the earthquake, SOS Children’s Villages is now thinking about the children’s future and the need for investment in education.

Hundreds of schools and classrooms were damaged or destroyed by the earthquake, making them unsafe for children and teachers. SOS Children’s Villages has begun construction work on several projects to reconstruct some of these quake-damaged schools throughout the country.

SOS Children’s Villages has also provided 9,000 students with resources to help them attend school, providing them with education kits that include uniforms, school supplies as well as warm clothing for the cold months. This support has helped thousands of children carry on with their school work in a safe learning environment and is expected to continue this year.

SOS Children’s Villages is also supporting students who lost valuable classroom time in the months following the earthquake through make-up classes and supplementary studies for those preparing for their graduation exams. More than 1,200 students at ten different schools are attending these supplementary classes and have received help with their studies and tuition cost.

What’s next for children and families in Nepal

Supporting children and their families in Nepal is not an easy task as progress can be hampered by various factors such as the monsoons that resulted in landslides and created road blockages last year. Still, SOS Children’s Villages is determined to provide children and their families affected by the earthquake with the support they need to regain stability and put their life back together.

In 2016, SOS Children’s Villages plans to ramp up school and home construction work and keep investing in education, making sure children have access to school and a chance at a bright future.