Nepal - Reaching Out

The news is full of stories coming out of Nepal, and, in the aftermath of the 7.9 earthquake last weekend and the many aftershocks, it's not good.

I had the opportunity to spend 5 weeks in Nepal back in the fall of 2013, 3 weeks trekking in the Manaslu and Annapurna regions and another 2 weeks visiting Pokhara and Kathmandu, both very close to the epicenter of the quake.  I'm quite saddened to hear news of the human tragedy, misery for a people who already had little and who now have nothing, the damage to centuries-old cultural icons, UNESCO World Heritage sites that may be damaged beyond repair.

This source shows some before and after pictures.

One useful source of news is the Nepali Times, as well as the usual Western news outlets.  The sheer scale of the disaster and the difficulty of gaining access to affected areas is hard to imagine for people living in Canada and the USA.  At this time, the scale of the disaster in rural mountain villages is unknown. 

I've been trying to discover the best way to help out in Nepal's time of need and in the future as they try to rebuild.  This is what I've found so far.  I'd be interested in any other suggestions.

First, there is the immediate disaster relief effort.  There are many, many charities and disaster-relief organizations involved in Nepal.  To verify the credibility of any particular charity, prospective donors can get information about any charity from an organization called Charity Navigator.  They also have some general comments about donating to the relief effort in Nepal, as well as a list of some vetted organizations who are involved in the current disaster.  Keep in mind that this is an American organization but some of the organizations they mention are international.

Canada has dispatched the DART, has earmarked $5M for immediate help and has said it will match all donations to the Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund until May 25.  This article from Global News has a number of suggested organizations which have good reputations and will be able to use donations.

However, one easy donation to make which will definitely trigger matching $$ from the Canadian Government is the Canadian Red Cross.  The link to the Red Cross donate page for Nepal is available from here.  So far, I have been unable to determine what other organizations you can donate to and still trigger the matching donation.  I will update as more information becomes available.

[Update] - It appears that donations to Oxfam Canada will also qualify for the matching government money.

There are, obviously, many credible organizations already doing important work in Nepal.  These include Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, and others too numerous to mention here.

After the immediate crisis has been managed will come the next, long-term challenge, that if rebuilding Nepal.  I'm still researching organizations that have been involved in that kind of work in the country and which will be involved in the future needs of the country.  One possible organization is the American Himalayan Foundation.  I would welcome information about any other organizations which do this more long-term work in Nepal.

[Update] - from the National Geographic - what's still standing....

[Update] - Donations to UNICEF Canada will also qualify for matching $$ from the Canadian Government AND also matching donations from UNICEF's corporate donors.