Following the deadly earthquake that struck Nepal in late April, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is providing relief and medical supplies – including shelter, nutritional items, sanitation, and water – for survivors of the tremor that killed at least 2,200 and injured 5,800. JDC will once again partner with Israeli Defense Forces field hospital in Napalese capital Kathmandu through the provision of equipment, including neonatal incubators. JDC previously partnered with the field hospital in Philippines, Haiti, Sri Lanka, and Japan. In the coming days, JDC’s disaster relief team — including its veteran crisis experts, an emergency field medic, and its India country director — will arrive in Nepal and assess needs and ensure an impactful response for survivors.
“As we ensure that aid crucial to the survival and wellbeing of victims in the first days following a disaster are secured and distributed, our team will begin to lay the foundation for our longer term efforts to help the Nepalese people recover from this unprecedented crisis,” said Mandie Winston, director of JDC’s International Development Program. “Given the dire conditions on the ground, and challenges that existed before the earthquake, we are focused on ensuring that the most vulnerable – women, children, the elderly, and people with special needs – are protected and cared for now and in the future.”
In addition to the IDF Field Hospital, JDC’s partners in Nepal include: Tevel B’Tzedek, an Israeli humanitarian group with longstanding presence in Nepal and UNICEF, which JDC has partnered with on many previous disasters including in the Philippines and Haiti. JDC has also activated its network in the region and is coordinating with more than a dozen existing international and Asia-based partners to prioritize aid and address critical and emerging needs.
JDC has provided immediate relief and long-term assistance to victims of natural and manmade disasters around the globe, including the Philippines, Haiti, Japan, and South Asia after the Indian Ocean Tsunami, and continues to operate programs designed to rebuild infrastructure and community life in disaster-stricken regions.
JDC’s disaster relief programs are funded by special appeals of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and tens of thousands of individual donors to JDC. JDC coordinates its relief activities with the U.S. Department of State, USAID, Interaction, the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Israeli agencies, and the UN coordination mechanism OCHA.
If you’d like to aid in the ongoing efforts in Nepal, learn more about our involvement through JFNA here.