Over the years, UMN has helped
train many people and organisations in disaster preparedness. One example is
Nepal Christian Relief Services, an NGO set up to respond to the needs of
communities affected by disasters. They are also skilled in helping communities
develop resilience, becoming more able to cope in time of crisis.

That training is being put to
good use, as an advance team from NCRS is now in badly-affected Gorkha
district, meeting relief materials for 2000 households being sent in by Trinity
Church, Chitwan, and arranging its transport, possibly by tractor, up into
remote villages. UMN has provided financial assistance for NCRS to purchase
emergency food packages, while Practical Action Nepal is providing non-food
items, like mattresses, blankets and tarpaulins.

“We are still getting a
lot of contact from people who have not yet received support,” says Paul
Wright, former UMN Disaster Response Adviser, who has been called back to Nepal
to support NCRS’s response. “There’s a sense of being pulled in every
direction, but the NCRS are being focused on trying to complete one major task
well before taking on another. Still, it’s heart-wrenching having to put
people off, so we do our best to link them with others who are working in their
area. Co-ordination is a major key to success.”

Please pray for our friends in
NCRS. The condition of the road is unknown, so pray that the materials can be
safely dispatched. Pray also that the distribution goes well. Paul and others
will leave Kathmandu tomorrow to join the team in Gorkha.