Saturday 23 May 2015

Earthquake Update (23rd May)

Gathering accurate information is always challenging in Nepal, but we now have preliminary assessments from most of our schools following the second major earthquake in Nepal on 12th May. Several schools that had suffered minor damage in the first earthquake have now sustained much more significant damage requiring significant repair.


SchoolDamage 
Shree Himalaya Primary, Mahcahap The school now has major damage which may cause the school to collapse if not addressed ahead of the Monsoon season. 
Ganodaya Secondary School, OkhaldhungaTwo class rooms in the newest building have suffered lots of cracks, which could cause collapse if not addressed. 
Shree Rakama Devi, JheksangHas sustained a large number of cracks in the older building making it unsafe for use in it's current state.
Shree Bhagwati Lower Secondary, BhalebasThe library and 3 classrooms have been damaged with significant cracks which need addressing.
Jandeep Secondary School, Dumre3 classrooms have minor cracks and 2 have major cracks making them unsafe, and vulnerable to collapse during the Monsoon season. 
Batase School, GorkhaThis school already required a rebuild following the first earthquake, but the situation has been further exacerbated by the second earthquake.  


Manisha UK twin schools not listed above have all sustained some minor damage. Our initial local assessment is that this appears superficial and the schools are safe, but full assessment by qualified professionals is still required in some locations.
 
The Children and Communities We support Need Your Help ...
 
Some of our UK twinned schools and other supporters of Manisha UK, have already started fundraising, or are planning to do so.

We urge anyone who wishes to help our supported communities to recover from this terrible natural disaster, to please make a donation in one of the following ways:

Online donation at the Manisha UK donation page.
 
Text donation of £10 by texting TEXT21 £10 to a UK mobile to number 70070, you will receive a confirmation text and request to approve gift aid.
 
Cheque made out to Manisha UK and sent to Old Moat Barn, Dormston Lane, Dormston, Worcs. WR7 4JX (Please enclose name, address, email address and approval to gift aid).
 
Many thanks, your support is very much appreciated. As always, a little goes a long way in Nepal!

Sunday 17 May 2015

Earthquake Update (17th May) ...

A second major earthquake hit Nepal at around 12.30pm local time on 12th May. Once again gathering information has proved a difficult process and we are still waiting to hear from many of our communities. The home of our Nepali coordinator, Saran, was severely damaged during the first earthquake and is now completely destroyed, but he has nonetheless been working tirelessly on our behalf.

We know that at least one school, Jandeep HSS in Dumre, that had suffered minor damage during the first earthquake has suffered further, much more serious, damage. We fear this will be echoed across more schools when we have the full picture. Lots of previously weakened homes have also been further damaged or destroyed, meaning many people have had to spend more nights sleeping in the open, often without any shelter.

As serious as the physical damage is the emotional trauma. One 8 year old girl, who I remember well as a lively, carefree and somewhat cheeky character, refused any food for three days and is absolutely convinced that all her family are going to die. The importance of restoring some routine and normality to her life, and many like her, can not be overstated. Please help us stand by these children and their families over the long term rebuilding and recovery process by hitting the donate button on the right hand side of this page.

This page will be updated as more news becomes available, with our latest news on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

The Children and Communities We support Need Your Help ...

Some of our UK twinned schools and other supporters of Manisha UK, have already started fundraising, or are planning to do so.

We urge anyone who wishes to help our supported communities to recover from this terrible natural disaster, to please make a donation in one of the following ways:

Online donation at the Manisha UK donation page.
 
Text donation of £10 by texting TEXT21 £10 to a UK mobile to number 70070, you will receive a confirmation text and request to approve gift aid.
 
Cheque made out to Manisha UK and sent to Old Moat Barn, Dormston Lane, Dormston, Worcs. WR7 4JX (Please enclose name, address, email address and approval to gift aid).
 
Many thanks, your support is very much appreciated. As always, a little goes a long way in Nepal!

Monday 4 May 2015


Earthquake Update (4th May) ...

Following the devastating earthquake in Nepal, many of our friends and supporters have enquired how our schools and communities have fared, under the most difficult conditions imaginable.

As you will appreciate, it has been difficult to gain access to all the information we would like, particularly given the remote nature of some of the schools. However, the table below summarises the current situation.

Our local team in Nepal, although affected themselves, have now been able to visit several of our schools and make an initial assessment. They observed a great deals of cracks and other damage, which needs proper assessment by engineers ahead of the monsoon season. This is now one of our primary focuses. We are hoping our local team will be able to visit all nine Palpa schools over the next week.

In the meantime, we have at least had some word from each school, which is very encouraging. While the situation is much better than we had initially feared, all communities have been affected in some way. However, Batase school in Gorkha District, is very close to the epicentre, so we anticipate severe damage to village buildings, water supplies and sanitation.

Clearly, the situation is very fluid and subject to change over the coming days, particularly in the event of any further aftershocks. So please check back regularly for updates.

Updates are now also available via Facebook and Twitter.

School
Fatalities / Injuries
School Building
School Open
Other Buildings
Water & Sanitation
Bhalebas
None reported
Safe, cracks
Yes
Severe
OK
Pipaldanda
None reported
Safe, minor cracks
Unknown
Severe
 Not yet assessed
Gyanodaya, Okhaldhunga
None reported
Safe, no damage known
Yes
No damage reported
 Not yet assessed
Basanta, Bagnas
None reported
Safe, no damage known
Yes
No damage reported
 Not yet assessed
Batase
None reported
Old building destroyed
No
At least 12 homes destroyed
 Not yet assessed
Jheksang
None reported
Safe, small cracks
Yes
No damage reported
 Not yet assessed
Amrit, Anghakhola
None reported
Safe, one wall damaged
Yes
Unknown
 Not yet assessed
Mahachap
None reported
Unsafe, severe damage
No
Unknown
 Not yet assessed
Dumre
None reported
Safe, some cracks
Yes
No damage reported
 Not yet assessed
Kolkal
Local women killed repairing roads
Safe
Unknown
Unknown
 Not yet assessed

The Children and Communities We support Need Your Help ...

Some of our UK twinned schools and other supporters of Manisha UK, have already started fundraising, or are planning to do so.

We urge anyone who wishes to help our supported communities to recover from this terrible natural disaster, to please make a donation in one of the following ways:

Online donation at the Manisha UK donation page.
 
Text donation of £10 by texting TEXT21 £10 to a UK mobile to number 70070, you will receive a confirmation text and request to approve gift aid.
 
Cheque made out to Manisha UK and sent to Old Moat Barn, Dormston Lane, Dormston, Worcs. WR7 4JX (Please enclose name, address, email address and approval to gift aid).
 
Many thanks, your support is very much appreciated. As always, a little goes a long way in Nepal!