Blog - Global Washington

Nepal Snapshot: After Quake, Orphans Return Outside

Posted on May 13, 2015

By Tyler Graf, Medical Teams International

Nepal is a country on edge.

For the second time in less than three weeks, people have taken to the streets to sleep. Buildings have been destroyed. People have died.

Tuesday’s 7.4-magnitude quake dashed hopes that the aftershocks were over and that Nepal could rebuild in earnest. People remain nervous about where and how to live – whether they should gamble on returning inside, or brave the elements outside.

Many of Nepal’s young people, however, are trying to make the best out of a tense situation.

At the ROKPA Children’s Home, an orphanage in Kathmandu, the kids have shown amazing resolve in the face of a difficult situation. The orphanage is run by a nonprofit organization that also runs the guesthouse that serves as Medical Teams International’s in-country base.

The orphans of ROKPA Chidren’s Home camp outside following Tuesday’s quake in Nepal.

After Tuesday’s quake, the children were rushed from next door to ROKPA Guesthouse’s backyard, where tents and cooking stations were quickly arranged. This was a repeat of what happened after the April 25 earthquake, when the kids were forced to do the same thing.

Nepal Earthquake: Washington State Organizations React Quickly to Provide Relief

Posted on May 6, 2015

By Lev Klarnet

nepal On April 25, a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck 50 miles outside of Nepal’s densely populated capital city of Kathmandu and the government quickly declared a state of emergency. Washington state responded quickly with a number of Global Washington members rushing to help victims of the quake by providing lifesaving supplies and services, medical assistance and shelter.

The World Health Organization estimates that for every 10,000 people in Nepal there are only two physicians and 50 hospital beds. Three GlobalWA groups — The Adara Group, Medical Teams International and UNICEF — are staffing mobile health units which are traveling the treacherous mountain terrain to provide pivotal healthcare to people in remote parts of the country.

Adara Team Swings into Action with a Mobile Medical Camp to Affected Areas

Posted on April 29, 2015

By Susan Burns, General Counsel, Adara Group Director, Adara Development (Australia) and Adara Development (Uganda)

Adara Development is a Global Washington member.

I was on the phone to my sister when I saw the email arrive – Nepal had been hit by a massive earthquake. As the next few hours unfolded, I could not believe the images that were rolling in. Kathmandu, the beautiful city I had visited just one week earlier, had been ravaged, and thousands of Nepalis were feared dead. The devastation to the people and cultural heritage of an incredible nation has just been heartbreaking to watch.