On 25 April 2015, an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck Nepal. It was the most powerful earthquake to hit the country in more than 80 years, killing more than 8,800 people and injuring more than 22,000. Overall, some eight million people - almost a third of Nepal’s population - were affected. Hundreds of thousands were left homeless. Key infrastructures, along with historical sites, were damaged or destroyed.
Just over two weeks later, a second, 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck northeast of Kathmandu, causing further loss of life and bringing many buildings which had been weakened by the first quake crashing to the ground.
RedR had staff on the ground in Kathmandu when the first earthquake struck on 25 April. A needs assessment conducted by our teams in the days following the disaster identified two urgent needs - water, sanitation and hygiene, and shelter - and highlighted the importance of providing long-term, sustainable support to those affected.
In the days following the earthquake, RedR launched an emergency appeal. Our individual donors and corporate partners responded with extraordinary generosity. With your help, we were able to train local NGO staff, government employees and communities, ensuring that they have the skills they need to help the people of Nepal recover from the earthquakes - and to prepare for and mitigate the impact of future disasters.
By the time the project closed in late 2016, a total of 1,268 people had taken part in RedR's training in Nepal. We continue to operate in Nepal via our sister organisation, RedR India.