April 2025 marks ten years since the catastrophic earthquake that hit Gorkha District on the morning of 25th April 2015 killing 8,962 people and injuring tens of thousands more.
The village of Barpak after the earthquake (New York Times)
The earthquake triggered multiple devastating avalanches and caused an estimated £7.8bn worth of damage, some of which still exists to this day. Sadly, Nepal is a country prone to natural disasters including landslides and flooding. This is due to its precarious geography but the risks are increasing all the time as a result of the worsening climate crisis and its destabilisation of the environment. At times of disaster it is essential to be able to provide support to those effected as quickly and efficiently as possible. To that end the BNCT aims to build a Disaster Relief Fund that will allow us to respond when disaster strikes, using our extensive networks and contacts on the ground in Nepal we will be able to provide financial support to vulnerable communities as soon as possible.
Earthquake disaster relief materials from the Britain-Nepal Society being distributed
But for us to be able to do that, we need your help. Given the recent drastic cuts to aid spending in both the US and UK it is more important than ever that small and medium sized charities, like the BNCT, are prepared to respond when we are most needed. Raising funds for our Disaster Relief Fund will be an ongoing process and the trustees of the BNCT will only deploy it as and when it is most needed. Please support us in this effort to prepare for when our Nepalese friends, colleagues and partners need us most.