Dear Friends,
We have such heartrending news. The brother of WFN Business Manager, Anupama Mahat, and our dear friend, died in a helicopter crash while delivering emergency relief aid to Sindhupalchowk District. Dr. Sandip Mahat, along with 2 other Nepali colleagues and a doctor from the Netherlands, had been returning to Kathmandu after providing medical care to people still suffering from the devastation of the two earthquakes, April 25 and May 12.The helicopter crashed at 4:40pm, June 2, after it hit electricity lines, in a forested area on Yamuna Danda hill near Balefi village.
All of us at Women’s Foundation are so terribly heartbroken. Just before the accident ,Sandip was in our office with his group. Women’s Foundation Nepal will feel his loss deeply. Dr. Mahat had two small daughters aged 1 and 7 years. He was only 38 years old. The loss of this talented, committed and generous doctor and father will be sorely felt by his family, his colleagues and by the nation.
Our deepest sympathy goes out to Anupama and her family.We wish God give strength to her family to overcome the grief.

Today our WFN Team reached out to people in the worst affected areas nearby Kathmandu. The houses there were either completely or partly destroyed so as to be unlivable.Although it was near to the capital, this is still a poor area and lacking in most necessities. Many people living in this area are very poor and of discriminated caste.
The people of this caste are vilified by society; they have been systematically neglected and very little relief has made its way to them. With a lots of struggle, they got some relief items but there was no place for them to stay. They were provided some food to eat but no place to stay as there were very few tents in the relief supplies and the places near their houses were impossible to stay because of the remains of their broken houses ready to collapse any time. One of our staff told us of the pathetic conditions of these people who are suffering not only from the ravages of the earthquake, but now suffering again from an unjust system of society.
WFN decided to provide the people with corrugated steel roofing so they could make their own shelters. We distributed to 180 displaced families. Each family received a bundle of steel roofing panels to make a place to stay of their own. They were so relieved and happy to get this roofing and happy that they can now build a safe shelter. The people were so thankful that someone cares, despite this unfair caste system, and they were so grateful for our support.
Please let the people of this area and the countless others who desperately need your support know that you CARE.
DONATE http://www.theglobalwomensproject.bigcartel.com

Sabina Tamang is a 25 year-old woman from Sindhupalchok District currently staying in Kathmandu. She belongs to a poor family and these disasters have only added to their suffering and worry about the future. She was pregnant and waiting for the delivery of her baby when the earthquake of April 25 occurred. The family had to move into a large shared tent in an open area because their house was damaged. Everyone was so stressed and this created big conflicts between her family members. Because of the frequent after shocks, they couldn’t return home and Sabina had to stay in the tent. It was very difficult; the close quarters were making her sick and she was not getting the food she needed. She gave birth to her first child in that tent. She tells her story by herself:

“It was Saturday on the day of the earthquake, so I and my family were busy cleaning rooms and washing clothes. It was the day off, so we were all busy doing our own things. The Doctor told me not to do heavy work, so I was giving direction to the eldest daughter. All the other kids were playing and my husband was watching television. Suddenly I felt like the earth is moving. In the beginning, I didn’t say this to anyone because I thought it was happening to me only because of weakness from my pregnancy. But after a second, everything in the room started falling and the whole house was shaking. Then I knew that it was an earthquake, so I thought to get out of the room, but I couldn’t. I could hardly stand up and hold the pillars. I thought this was the last minutes of my life. I went so deep that there was no hope left in me. Then after 57 seconds it stopped. I could not believe that I was alive… then all of the family sat together and held one another”

“Our family in Kathmandu is luckily all safe, but for family at our village, all the houses are damaged and their livestock were trapped and died in the collapsed buildings.”
She finally got to know about the shelter run by Women’s Foundation and about the new project on national television.

“I feel myself to be very lucky in this case because I cannot imagine my life if I had not found the Women’s Foundation shelter. How hard it would be for me during this period. After the first disaster, I was staying in open places, which made me physically and mentally very weak. That was the hardest time in my life that I will never be able to forget for my entire life. Due to the earthquake I was facing lots of trouble. This is the period where a woman needs much more nutritious food, love, care and affection, along with a very safe place but this was just something I could dream about in my imagination. To think about love and care became such a far away possibility when I was not able to even get a drink of water when I was thirsty . It was really a very scary and panicky time for me and my family. There I was, with one bed cover and one small blankest and a fear inside me. It was so hard to spend the night in open places with strangers. It was the worst moment in my life to stay outside with an empty stomach, mosquito bites and fear inside. I stayed there a couple of weeks and finally, I got a safe home and caring family at WFN. I am so happy and my baby is also in sound health.”

She adds further, “I am so happy to be the part of this home. I feel like this disaster helped me find a new family. The visits everyday by Renu Maam( Renu Sharma, President of WFN) and the team gives me more strength. She is such a powerful woman, with a kind-hearted nature. Not only me, my children are with me and they are looking after my children. I am so very thankful to this WFN for being my family and for being the family for hundreds of pregnant women and new born babies in this hard time”

Palsang Tamang is 20 years old and she is from the mountainous Sindhupalchowk District of Nepal to the northeast of Kathmandu. She lived there with her husband and her in-laws. Everyone was so happy when Palsang became pregnant and very excited for their first child. It was difficult to find proper care and treatment in their village for Palsang’s pregnancy, so they decided to come to Lalitpur for work and for access to hospital delivery. Palsang’s husband Nima found work in the handicraft business.Although they came to the capital city full of hope for a better life, the money Nima made was not enough for them to survive well or to provide nutritious food for Palsang. Palsang gave birth to a son just a few days before the quake. They were so happy to have their newborn son and came back to their home to show everyone the new member of their family. 

This is what Palsang described happening on April 25 when the earthquake hit, just a few short days after she had given birth to her infant son.
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“I was in my rented house on the first floor. As it was Saturday, my husband was off work so my husband cooked food and we ate together. Then he went out as he had some work of his own to do. I was alone in the house. I cleaned my baby then he fell asleep. I did some household chores and I then thought to take a nap and was about to fall sleep when the bed I was in started to tremble.
The land started to shake and I was numb, unaware of what to do.I heard people screaming, crying, shouting and the ground making noises. I saw everything shaking in my room and I could not even stand up to gather up and hold my son. The tears gradually rolled out and I thought it was the last day of my life.I heard my neighbor calling me and pleading for me to come outside. With the little guts I could summon up, I came out carrying my son. As we came out the door of the house, the house started to completely collapse at the same time.Everybody immediately ran into the open space nearby.I would not have come out if my neighbor had not called me. I owe her this life. I started to tremble with fear and worry about my husband who was at his work and my in-laws in Shindhupulchowk. I couldn’t get in contact with any of them as there was no proper network. After few hours my husband came and I was so relieved. Later on we started making contact in the village.”
“ My in- laws were fine too but their house, with all their cattle trapped inside it in, had collapsed. Because the earthquake occurred in the mid day, many lives were saved as people rarely stay inside the house. I was happy to know that no lives were lost, but they knew that the living would be very difficult as there was no food left outside to survive.”
When asked what would have happened if she had not found the Womens’ Foundation shelter to stay at she says: “I would end up living in a tent in a nearby ground where I would not get proper post natal care and my son too would have to suffer a lot.Before we came here, we did not have our own tent; we had to share with others and adjust to the numbers of people living in the tent.”
“My stay in that tent was very pathetic. We had no food to eat as all our food, utensils, clothes and medicine were buried inside the house. There was no way, except to wait for others to give us some food to eat. We had to sleep the first night on an empty stomach. With each big aftershock, even my son felt the shaking of the earth as we sat directly on the ground without any mattress, so I kept him on my lap the whole night. The next day my husband was able to pull out some food to eat and some mattresses. I could not get enough food for my health and suffered from the cold. There was no place left in my son cheeks without a mark of mosquito. When we heard about The Women’s Foundation on the radio, we felt relief and immediately came for help. My husband and I, along with my son, are very thankful to Women’s Foundation for providing such facilities for women and taking care of them when they need it the most.”

Many women have now heard about WFNs new program to care for pregnant women and new mothers. They have heard about us from our radio and TV interviews, and through referrals from hospitals. WFN is now providing a safe and caring place for women during an extremely vulnerable time when they are just about to give birth or have just given birth to a tiny and helpless infant. The women and their new babies are given medical care, checkups, clothing, bedding, nutritious food and most importantly, love and care to make them feel safe again. Their family members, children, husbands and inlaws often accompany them, as many are homeless.
Our First BABY
Sanu Basnet Shrestha is 28 years old. She comes from Sindhupalchok Discrict, Thulopakhare. She first came to the Women’s Foundation Shelter on May 14th, following the second earthquake, while she was still heavily pregnant. On 17th of May, she gave birth to the mostbeautiful baby girl in this world; the first baby to be born at the Women’s Foundation new program for Pregnant Women and New Mothers.
Although Sanu had a normal delivery and mother and baby are both doing well physically, this has been such a time of hardship and fear for Sanu. The stress of living through both earthquakes and not knowing where she would be when her baby came has had a devastating impact on Sanu’s mental state. She still faces much trouble and uncertainty, but for now she is safe with WFN.
She is currently staying in the shelter home where she is getting nutritious food and care and all other required needs of a new mother. Without this support it would difficult to imagine how she could nurture her child or take care of herself. Now, she feels happy and safe. Both mother and child are getting regular check ups with nurses and doctors, there to care of their health.

The WFN team left the office at 5:00am with two trucks of emergency supplies for the Rasuwa District, Syapru base V.D.C. Road conditions were very bad. We could see dry landslides happening as we drove, triggered by aftershocks that came during our journey. In many places we had to pull over and wait until the landslide was over. The way was too risky. We could feel the aftershocks come time and again. All the hills around us were turned into dry landslides. We kept driving ignoring the landslides and all the trouble we were facing on our way.

Though it was a very hard to get there, after reaching to that place and seeing the smiles on the faces of the people, our team forgot all the suffering and fear on our way. When we reach there, people started sharing their sufferings. Like countless others, they have been sheltering in an open area using whatever coverings they could find to keep off rain and the heat of the elements. They are worried about increasing illness in the elderly and children and the spread of disease. They are worried about the coming monsoon season and what will happen to their land.

All the people of this place are so welcoming. They have now started to build the temporary houses. They look so humble. We could see how they were all helping each other and trying to make sure that everyone was safe. They helped us also with our work. They took so much pleasure in supporting us in any way they could as a way to give back and to give thanks. They have understood that this disaster is not the fault of any people but it is a natural, ongoing process of the earth. We also spoke out to them of their bravery and unity, so that it gave them more hope and strength to fight the many challenges they face.

The people of Syapru greeted us so nicely. We went there thinking we wanted to give them a support and caring that felt like family love. In this case we found that we received that love back.The rolling tears from the people’s eyes due to happiness was such an emotional moment. All the people were blessing us and our team. In this environment it makes us so happy to distribute the emergency aid and see them happy and having more hope.

We distributed the aid, which included a 30 kg sack of rice for each family and clothes for women and also we taught them about the importance of cleanliness. The people still suffer from the stress of their conditions and the constant aftershocks and landslides but they have an amazing spirit of working together to overcome hardship. We found these people already united together and working hard to restart their lives. This could be the lesson for other districts too.

Now more than anything UNITY has strength. It is so inspiring to see the people working together, joining hand in hand.
Together we can share HOPE and together we can share a sense of relief. YES WE CAN!!!
Please! Continue your support! Now more than ever the people need to know you CARE

Picture no.1
During the WFN team visits to districts to distribute aid, we have heard many sad and heart wrenching stories. Laxmi Tamang is only 20 years old. Her 5 month old daughter was killed in the catastrophic earthquake of 25 April. In her own words, Laxmi told one of our team members this story of a mother in a situation where there was no one to support her or care for her.
“I had been visiting my mother’s house for a month when the earthquake of 25 April struck. I was feeding my daughter when the land started to tremble and out of nowhere the house I was staying in fell and my daughter and I were trapped. There was no one to help. After few hours, the police force came and managed to dig us out. I was pulled out alive, but my baby could not be pulled out breathing. I was helpless and cursed myself for being alive instead of my daughter. I have bruises all over my body and also cracked my leg. When I return to my in-laws place, I was blamed for my daughter’s death. They said if I had not visited my mother’s house, this incident would never have occurred. This was too painful to hear.”
At a time when Laxmi needed love and support to help her make it through the loss of her daughter, she was accused instead of her own baby’s death. With eyes full of tears, Laxmi said that being blamed for her daughter’s death was almost as painful as losing her daughter to the earthquake.

Picture no.2
In another village we met this 70 year old single woman. She has no children and no one to take care of her. The earthquake devastated her home and belongings and now she has nothing left but the clothes on her back.
“This is the first time that I received relief. I have not been able to fill my stomach from the date of the first earthquake. Nobody care about me. I had only 2 kg of flour in my house, but that got buried when it fell down. Since the earthquake I have eaten only bark, leaves and roots of the tree Thank you so much WFN for saving me from starving and being my family in this hard time.”

Picture no.3
Not only people have suffered during these hard times. We also saw many instances of animals that were trapped and killed in the earthquakes and landslides. The little baby goat pictured above was trapped along with 5 others and their mother goat in a collapsed building during the second great earthquake of May 12. People were busy rescuing family members and protecting them. When they came to realize their animals were also buried and trapped under rubble and stones, it was already too late- the other 5 baby goats along with their mother were dead. Even though it had been trapped for days under the rocks, by some miracle this baby goat was still breathing.
Disasters such as these earthquakes bring fear, loss and sadness, but it may also bring examples of how people can stretch their hearts and become bigger and better. People we met in these villages so racked by destruction were all disheartened by the many losses they had suffered, but they were also living together and most were sharing what little they had despite religious and other boundaries. When our team was there they were so happy to see us. They greeted us so well. They told us that they feel as if we are now part of their family and we feel the same. Although there are lots of challenges in front of us, we have the solution within ourselves and we will rise again soon

The Women’s Foundation team was back after long stay and successful distribution of emergency aid to the village of Jugu V.D.C. which is so beautiful with its nature, but even at the best of times, this is a poor area and people have a hard time feeding themselves. Due to the dry landslides and frequent after shock the condition of the road was very worse that result hard time to reach up to the village. Our team spent their night on the loads of trucks and on open areas of the village. There are 9 wards in the village and there are 130 families displaced by the earthquakes in ward no 2 where we went for distribution. 135 people were trapped in the damages but luckily they were rescue by the army. They are at the hospital. These people earn their living by farming, but that has been swept away. Their terraced farmland is destroyed, many animals are dead or sickly, and they have nothing left.
When WFN arrived, the people were there to greet our team and they told us that no one had been there to help them since earthquake. We gave them 1 sack of rice, blankets each to 130 families. According to the people, they got only Nrs 2000 as relief from the government. They don’t have the expectation left from the government as their process is too slow.
They showed us that now All the houses of their community have been damaged. There is not even one single house left behind from the destruction of both large earthquakes. All the people have been living out in an open area to be safe from aftershocks that might cause even more destruction and collapse. Most people are sharing tents with many families together. Some people, however, have not even that and are sleeping under the crown of the sky.
The weather at this time of year is hot and humid. It is increasingly hard to spend night after night in wet, crowded and humid situation. People are afraid that disease will spread in these conditions. children and the elderly are increasingly vulnerable, becoming ill with coughs and stomach illness.
There is also no shelter for their animals. Because it is birthing season, they say their newborn animals are getting sick and dying. People are scared by the continuous aftershocks and are afraid and discouraged. They are very worried about the future and can’t see a way out of this disaster for themselves.
In the meantime, they are scared not only by their miserable conditions, but by the future , disasters that may occur due the earthquake.

She is 70 years old single women. . No children, No one to take care of her and No thing left for her after earthquake.
She was telling her suffering with our team.In her own Words,
“This is the first time that i got relief . I was not able to fill my stomach from the date of first earthquake. Nobody care about me.i had only 2 kg of flour in my house that got trapped. Since earthquake i ate only bark , leef and root of the tree Thank you so much WFN for saving me from starving and being my family in this hard time.”

We need unity to rise again, now more than ever, to make sure that these people, and all others in similar circumstances due to the Nepal Earthquakes, are not forgotten, and not overlooked. Please keep following these stories and ensure that everyone gets the support and help they need to restart their lives.

Today Women’s Foundation team left early in the morning with 2 trucks to Sindhupalchok and Dolakha Districts full of relief aid for these remote and mountainous villages.The WFN team that went to Sindhupalchok is back, but the team for Dolakha is still on its way to the affected areas. They spent the night on the road and they will be back tomorrow, late at night.
According to team Sindhupalchok, the villageis in a poor but beautiful area, full of green hills and flowers. In Bansbari V.D.C MijarTole, at 9 no.ward, there now 188 families displaced by the earthquakes. Thirteen people died there and 5 people are injured severely and have been admitted to the hospital. The people in this district earn their living by farming, but their lands and buildings have been swept away. Terraced farmland has either fallen away in the landslides or is too unstable to continue to farm. Their crops are all destroyed and many of their animals are dead or without shelter. Animals being born this spring are sickly and many die because they are out in the open. The people have nothing left that they can rebuild with.
Like villages all over this area that were so badly affected from the first earthquake, the second quake located in this eastern district, caused severe damage. Landslides, falling rocks, falling boulders and weakened buildings which collapsed completely during the second earthquake have brought even further destruction and suffering. When WFN arrived, the team found people gathered together in open spaces under tarps, often many families squeezed in together. These crowded conditions, along with rain and damp increase the incidence of illness, and many are now complaining of diarrhea and coughs.
Even two weeks ago, the Ministry of Health reported dramatically increased rates of diarrhea and pneumonia throughout the 14 districts affected most severely. Given that up to 90% of all rural health stations have been destroyed in the earthquakes (as reported by CNN), people are at increased risk of dehydration, malnutrition and cold. Disease is feared will spread quickly.
The people also showed us that none of their houses have escaped the destruction, and there is nowhere they can shelter except under temporary tarps. All the people have been living out in these open areas to be safe from aftershocks.Mental health is also of increasing concern; disheartened and overwhelmed by the breadth of these disasters, and suffering from the continuing threat of aftershocks, the people are in need of counseling and comforting as well as the needs of the body.
Our team went to meet the people and to help however we could, and we were able to provide emergency aid to all the people of that ward.In the meantime, they are scared not only by their miserable conditions, but by the future. How will they provide for themselves? What will happen to them?
The people of this village and many thousands of others still need your love and care. They need to know we are still there to help, to listen to their stories, to lend whatever assistance we can. They are not alone.

Today the Women’s Foundation team again used a helicopter to deliver aid to the remote and mountainous Dolakha District. Dolakha is in the north of the country and known for its superbly beautiful green foothills and steep mountains leading up into the Himalayas. Now however, it has been buried under landslides, falling boulders and mountain falls; all the roads into this area have been effectively destroyed.
Our air lift took us to the village of Khopchagu V.D.C. Khopchagu is so beautiful with its nature, but even at the best of times, this is a poor area and people have a hard time feeding themselves. In Khopchagu, within its 9 wards, there now 650 families displaced by the earthquakes. These people earn their living by farming, but that has been swept away. Their terraced farmland is destroyed, many animals are dead or sickly, and they have nothing left.
When WFN arrived, the people were there to greet us and told us that no one had been there to help them since before the second earthquake. They showed us that now ALL the houses and buildings of their community have been damaged. There is not even one single house left behind from the destruction of both large earthquakes. All the people have been living out in an open area to be safe from aftershocks that might cause even more destruction and collapse. Most people are sharing tents with many families together. Some people, however, have not even that and are sleeping under the crown of the sky.
Our WFN team met with all these people and listened to their stories of hardship and suffering. They told us of how they are all becoming sick, that their tents are wet and crowded, everyone’s clothing and bedding is wet and that they suffer from fear because of the constant aftershocks. These people are farmers; they have no other resources or training, but the government has sent word that they must all leave the area. The threat of landslides in such hilly terrain is too great to rebuild. At the same time, the people have no ability to provide for themselves or to relocate themselves. They are left without tents, food, or warm blankets because they have been told to move away.
Our team went to meet the people and to help however we could, but we could not provide emergency aid to all. Arriving by airlift restricted how many supplies we could bring. There is no way, however, that we can just ignore their terrible conditions, so we felt we MUST do whatever we could to bring tents and warm blankets to that area during the period they are still marooned there. We cannot abandon these people while the government decides where they should go. This was only the option we could find where we could help, if even in a limited way. WFN is still waiting to hear how the government will bring these people to safety now that the government has declared the area unfit to live in. The people need food and shelter until they are safely carried out.
In the meantime, they are scared not only by their miserable conditions, but by the future. Where will they go? How will they provide for themselves? What will happen to them?
We all need to stand together, now more than ever, to make sure that these people, and all others in similar circumstances due to the Nepal Earthquakes,are not forgotten, and not overlooked. Please keep following these stories and ensure that everyone gets the support and help they need to restart their lives.
You can DONATE here with our sister organization Global Women’s Project – all monies come directly to Women’s Foundation Nepal to fund our ongoing relief efforts.