(Covid-19 cases 100,000 population by district (As of 15 June 2020))
In Nepal foremost the southern districts close to the border with India suffer most from the coronavirus.
On 24th March 2020, the Government of Nepal decided on an almost complete lock-down. Since 14th of June its slowly opening up. From June on the government started to repatriate people from Gulf countries and Malaysia. They bring back people and above this, every day around 5.000 people are entering Nepal from the Indian border. These immigrants are mostly young men, and worked abroad as a labourer. The majority of them are from poor backgrounds from all over the country. They have lost their jobs in the last three months and return with empty hands. Once they are back in Nepal, they are transported back to their villages right into quarantaine camps. In these camps the living standards are very basic and lack good hygiene.
Because of this Reach Out Too is supporting two emergency relief projects.
Protective equipment and support for regional hospitals through Karuna Nepal
The Minister of Province
has asked the management of Karuna Nepal to coordinate the emergency support of all NGO’s in the Province. Also, all members of the Karuna team have volunteered to donate 5 days of their salary/income for this aid.
In this project Karuna Foundation supports health facilities, provides health related logistics and equipment. The support given to the health facilities will help health workers to work without fear and provide quick service to the people. In addition to the health related logistics and equipment, Karuna Foundation supports basic food material (rice, lentil, oil etc.) to the families of persons with a disability and ultra-poor families. All these materials are provided to municipality and municipality will distribute them to targeted households.
With much thanks to our donors and Wilde Ganzen we could support this work.
Emergency relief for the quarantine camps in Dang through our partner Creating Possibilities Nepal
More and more people, hundreds a day, are returning to their family in Dang from India to Nepal. They are isolated in quarantine camps for two weeks and are tested on COVID-19 when they come in and before they leave. In the area of Dang, the working area of Creating Possibilities Nepal, around 30 camps are set up in public buildings like schools. The conditions in the camps are very basic and lack good hygiene facilities. As more and more people return the camps are getting overcrowded and the testcapacity is too low with the result that people have to stay longer in quarantaine to wait for the results. The local government spent its available money on food distribution for the local population, and was not prepared for the return of so many.
This project is about providing hygiene and protective materials for the people in the quarantine camps, for the health workers working in the camp and other aid workers.
With much thanks to our donors like Haella we could support this work.
