When a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal in April 2015, it brought devastation and heartache to the Himalayan country. This tragic disaster—which was followed by a series of powerful aftershocks— took more than 8,800 lives and damaged or destroyed more than 800,000 homes. The earthquake’s effects were far-reaching: collapsed schools, broken water systems, and lost sources of income among them.
Thanks to generous donations in the quake’s aftermath, the global Red Cross network was able to deliver lifesaving support and supplies to people in need. Nearly 8,000 Red Cross staff and volunteers mobilized to provide humanitarian aid such as medical care, emergency shelter, food, water, hygiene kits, blankets, kitchen items, and cash to help families survive in the critical days and weeks after the disaster. Demonstrating the power of crowd-sourcing in the midst of disasters, volunteers from around the globe made edits to digital, open-source maps—which were utilized by responders on the ground.
The American Red Cross continues to provide vital support in Nepal as people rebuild their lives and communities. This includes helping restore families’ sources of income, constructing water systems in remote villages, ensuring kids get vaccinated against diseases like measles, and teaching people the skills they need to make their homes safer during future disasters.
The American Red Cross has been working in Nepal for more than a decade. In recent years, we have helped students and teachers in 220 schools to prepare for disasters by training them in first aid and light search & rescue, organizing emergency simulations and drills, and creating school disaster preparedness plans.
When the quake hit, 15-year-old Regish Giri—who took part in a Nepal Red Cross earthquake preparedness program at his school—was at home with his family and knew what to do. Regish, who lives in the hard-hit Sindhupalchowk District, remembers, “I was playing with my little brother in my room when everything started to shake,” he said. “I knew we needed to cover our heads and get to an open space.” Regish picked up his younger brother and convinced his frightened aunt and mother to come outside. “We were falling as we ran away, but we got to a field, away from buildings and trees and lay down.”
