Nepal Floods: An Appeal

On 26 August a section of glacier collapsed high on Langtang Lirung, sending an ice avalanche and then a vast debris flow down into the Trishuli valley. The flooding that followed has devastated Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, and Gyirong county across the border in Tibet.

As of 31 August, authorities report more than 930 dead in Nepal and close to 4,000 people still missing, with well over a thousand injured and many more displaced from their homes. Damage to houses, roads, bridges and hydropower is already estimated above NPR 200 billion. These numbers are still moving as search and rescue continues; the ongoing account of the disaster is being kept up to date.

I was studying and teaching in Kathmandu only in July, and the Himalayan communities affected are ones many of us in this sangha have walked among, studied alongside, or been hosted by. It is hard to take in loss on this scale. May those who have died be at peace, may the missing be found, and may the living find shelter, food, and the means to begin again.

Where to give

I would encourage anyone moved to help to give to Karuna-Shechen — a grass-roots community development, medical aid and disaster relief organisation with offices in Kathmandu, founded in 2000 by the Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard.

They are already on the ground in the worst-hit districts, having committed €500,000 to the emergency, distributing food and drinking water to displaced families in temporary camps and assessing needs for shelter, sanitation and medical care.

Impressed by their preparedness and their “Dharma in action” approach, I have raised funds for them in the past, notably after the 2015 earthquake.

Donate to the Nepal flood appeal →

Please give directly to Karuna-Shechen rather than through this site — every offering then reaches the relief effort in full.