‘Outside Aid Must Be Carefully Coordinated,’ Says Nepalese NGO Director

Relief work in Nepal is continuing, but destroyed roads and bridges are making it difficult to reach communities hit by last week’s floods and mudslides. Local NGOs are helping the government coordinate the response.

One of them is the Karuna Foundation Nepal, which normally works with children with disabilities. Its director, Deepak Raj Sapkota, is coordinating assistance from Kathmandu for Rasuwa district on the border with Tibet, one of the hardest-hit areas. The death toll in Nepal and Tibet has risen above 1,000, while more than 4,000 people are missing.

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It is a young government with relatively little experience. A disaster like this requires flexibility and coordination with foreign countries.

This is not the first time Sapkota’s organization has turned into an emergency relief operation. He was closely involved in relief and reconstruction in Rasuwa after the devastating 2015 earthquake, when the district was also among Nepal’s worst-affected regions.

The Nepalese government initially appeared to reject foreign assistance on Friday, before Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal partly reversed that position. Sapkota understands the government’s hesitation and its eventual decision to seek specialist help. "It is a young government with relatively little experience. A disaster like this requires flexibility and coordination with foreign countries."

He says the government must specify as precisely as possible what help is needed. His own team works with residents of the region, which he considers more effective than sending people who do not know the area. "It is not easy for outsiders to help. If you do not know the geography of the region, the people and the context, aid is less effective. You must be able to tailor aid to the needs of the victims."

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It is not easy for outsiders to help. If you do not know the geography of the region, the people and the context, aid is less effective. You must be able to tailor aid to the needs of the victims.

Sapkota points to the 2015 earthquake as a warning. Millions of euros were spent on emergency aid then, but many people who lost homes and family members are still struggling to survive. He urges international organizations and development partners to coordinate their assistance because, as he puts it, "In a month, something else will happen in the world, and everyone will have forgotten this."

He says the earlier earthquake also influenced the latest disaster. More people moved into riverbeds because living conditions at higher elevations were poor, while the riverbeds offered easier access to services and roads. Sapkota believes better information could have saved lives. Some people received warnings half an hour in advance but did not take them seriously because floods and landslides occur regularly.

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In a month, something else will happen in the world, and everyone will have forgotten this.