No Rest: GlobalMedic's Continued Response to the Nepal Earthquakes | CanadaHelps

This post was provided by Nicholas Kattis, Multimedia Coordinator at GlobalMedic, as part of our continued coverage of Nepal Earthquake Relief.

Approaching four months on the ground, and over fifty thousand people helped so far.

GlobalMedic’s Rapid Response Team has been active in Nepal since April 27^th, two days after the first deadly earthquake took place.

Recently, the monsoon season has set in and travel for the team has become more difficult as rainstorms cause road conditions to deteriorate.

When roads are impassable for vehicles, our team travels on foot to reach distribution camps in order to provide the locals with aid items, including hygiene kits with toothbrushes, shampoo, soap, and blankets, portable Household Water Purification Units, which provide families with fresh water for up to a year and can be taken with them as they move, and household emergency tents to provide families with a dry, comfortable place to sleep and conduct household activities.

Additionally, critical infrastructure tents have been installed, which not only function as replacements for hospitals, shelters, clinics, and classrooms, but have also been a crucial part of establishing Child-Friendly Spaces in Nepal. These spaces function as a place where children can be safe, learn, play, and receive the psychosocial support that they may need after experiencing a tragic event.

Our Rapid Response Team has also continued to install large-scale water purification units in hospitals, schools, and public centers. With 65 units to date, and capable of producing a thousand liters of clean water every hour, providing for over sixty-eight-thousand people, more than nineteen-thousand of whom are children.

The resilience and willingness of the Nepali people to help constantly impresses the GlobalMedic team. Local volunteers, many of whom have lost their homes or loved ones in the tragedy, assist with organizing distributions and packing aid. They’ve become close with our team members, as they work together to further earthquake response efforts.

Until all of the kits and tents have been distributed, our team continues to trek through monsoon conditions and eroded roads to as many villages as possible in order to provide aid to those still in need.