Responding in Nepal

 MAF is currently working in Nepal following the earthquakes in the last few weeks. We would like to share with you a great story of how MAF has been serving there, and coordinating relief efforts with other organizations. 

Last week, before MAF began coordinating the highly-subsidized flights for the earthquake relief in Nepal, two men trekked for five days into a region northwest of Kathmandu where one of their villages is located deep in the mountains.

“It was an area hard hit but a little overlooked. For three days we didn’t see one single house that was standing,” they described. “We were absolutely stunned by the devastation. I couldn’t imagine. Nothing left, simply nothing. No rations whatever. The loss of life has not been too bad - hundreds, but if it had been night, I can’t even think what would have happened. No relief items had arrived to that area.”

The two-person team walked from village to village in a long loop, crossing dangerously damaged cable bridges over canyons and rivers, walking on ridges split with deep cracks from the earthquake, visiting a village of less than 100 inhabitants where 37 people died, and another village where the ground had cracked above and below the village, like bookends of warning. When the monsoons begin in mid-June, what will happen?

In one village named Thale with up to 200 people, they said, not only was every house destroyed, the whole slope of the mountain is sliding down. The villagers fled to a grazing ground for their animals on the top of the mountain at about 2500 meters. As of yesterday, they had been there for 19 days. They had one tarp and no supplies. Yesterday that changed - the MAF-coordinated helicopters flew for Himalayan Life to this small, displaced community, bringing desperately needed provisions.

The second flight landed near Yangry, a village of about 600 people and 80 homes that Himalayan Life plans to ‘adopt’. No buildings were left intact following the first earthquake.

“People couldn’t believe that we were actually back. We promised we would come back, and we came bringing relief items. It has meant an unbelievable lot to them."

Here is a short, but very impactful video of how MAF has been a game changer reaching very isolated communities there in Nepal.

 

We are so thankful for MAF's service, and ability to provide logistics and pilots when disasters arise globally. Please pray that there will be no further quakes and that in the coming weeks people can start to rebuild their shattered homes and lives. The frequent aftershocks are really traumatizing for those who have lost so much, and many people are too afraid to sleep inside their damaged homes and are choosing to sleep outside even during heavy rainstorms.

We will try to post more updates on Nepal as we are able to share them.