Nepal – April 25 2017 Two years after the earthquake Two years after a devastating earthquake struck Nepal in April 2015, SOS Children's Villages UK's sister organisations are on the ground helping children and families rebuild their lives. More than 8,600 people died when the earthquake shook Nepal two years ago – and more than 2.8 million people were left homeless. Our sister organisations’ immediate response focused on establishing Child Friendly Spaces for children who had been caught up in the disaster. Our team on the ground delivered emergency food, water and medicines for families in need, reuniting children with parents, and offering alternative care for children who could not be reunited with their parents. Since then, we have been supporting families to rebuild their lives. We have provided ‘livelihood’ programmes that help parents meet their families’ basic needs, and ‘kinship care’ support for those who need to take on parental responsibilities. We also delivered ‘home in a box’ kits to help provide families with basic household goods – such as blankets and mattresses. We are working to rebuild the schools and homes that were damaged or destroyed by the earthquake. Much of this help has been aimed at ensuring long-term support for families and children. To date, some 28,000 children and their families have received help in some of the hardest to reach locations. Map showing districts with emergency relief programme operations Shubba Murthi, International Director, SOS Children’s Villages Asia Regional Office said: “The effects of the devastating earthquake in Nepal not only called for immediate action for the suffering people but raised pertinent questions: How prepared are we for such disasters? Can we prevent loss of life and difficulties for the most vulnerable – women and children? How well prepared are we for the next disaster? “With these and other questions in mind, SOS Children’s Villages went about in the last two years addressing what we do best – taking care of children who have no one and those at risk of losing parental care. “As an organisation, we reach out to those who were left out due to distances, remoteness and social reasons. This would not have been possible without the enormous support from all parts of the world – especially Europe. Construction of a secondary school in Bhimtar, where 95% of the infrastructure was destroyed “I wish to thank each and every one who stood by us, believing in the cause and contributing to the vision that no child should grow up alone.” Watch a video about our work in Nepal