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Press Releases & Updates

23 OCT 2015

Six months on from Nepal earthquakeMuch support still needed as winter approaches

Six months on since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal, 530,000 people are still acutely food insecure. Tens of thousands of people are still living in basic shelters built from bamboo and corrugated galvanised iron sheets, which are not fit for freezing winter conditions. About 81,000 households (400,000 people) living in high altitude areas need durable shelter and winterisation supplies before the winter.

An on-going fuel crisis is adding to the problem, putting at risk the health and safety of thousands of people as winter approaches. Nearly 9,000 people were killed and more than 600,000 houses were totally destroyed by the quake that struck the country on 25 April and a second quake of a similar magnitude on 12 May 2015.

Oxfam has been able to reach more than 445,000 people in seven of the worst-hit districts in the past six months. Oxfam is providing blankets, mattresses, and warm clothing to help with the cold, as well as shelter kits, clean water, toilets, hygiene equipment and rice seeds. The international agency is also calling on the Government of Nepal and all parties involved to immediately resolve the fuel crisis to ensure that essential supplies start flowing again.

Oxfam is now transitioning from providing immediate emergency relief to longer-term recovery, ensuring that the recovery work meets people’s needs, both now and in the future. In the recovery phase, the agency is working towards sustainable water and sanitation provision, and helping people restore their livelihoods, such as providing capital and training for people to rehabilitate existing businesses. Targeted support is also being given to women, empowering them through life skills training and activities to strengthen their abilities.

 

About Oxfam

Oxfam is a worldwide development organisation that mobilises the power of people against poverty.

 

For media enquiries, please contact:

Sarah Chu (Senior Communications Officer)
Telephone: + 852 3120 5280 / + 852 9276 0064
Email: sarah.chu@oxfam.org.hk

Maggie Chum (Communications Officer)
Telephone: + 852 3120 5222 / + 852 6010 9961
Email: maggie.chum@oxfam.org.hk