By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency
Kathmandu, Nepal — May 28, 2015 … IsraAID, Israel’s largest, private, global humanitarian organization, has launched its “A Roof for All” program to provide safe and sturdy transitional shelter for thousands of displaced families who have lost their homes as a result of the last two devastating earthquakes in Nepal.
Hundreds of thousands of people are displaced, living on the streets and in open areas in make-shift tents and shelters unprepared for the heavy storms and flooding of the imminent monsoon season. There is critical cause for concern that a secondary disaster could quickly unfold if humanitarian conditions are not dramatically improved.
The United Nations has stated that there is “immense” damage to over 600,000 homes and warned that some 70,000 children are at severe risk of malnutrition and require urgent support. So far, only 14% of the humanitarian aid sought by the United Nations for the relief effort in Nepal has been met, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. That means only $59 million has been committed, of the $423 million requested, since the first quake struck last month.
While the UN begs the international community to save lives, IsraAID is working closely with partners on the ground to survey conditions and assess the health situation in order to mitigate the outbreak of further diseases.
As a partner of the national and international Shelter Cluster in Nepal, IsraAID’s technical teams are working alongside government agencies, the UN and other INGOs to provide transitional housing solutions that are low cost and suitable for the conditions in Nepal.
IsraAID’s “A Roof for All” program will provide 200 families in the first round and up to 800 families in total, with transitional homes that adhere to the best practices and international standards in disasters.
IsraAID, founded in 2001, is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to providing life-saving disaster relief and long term support. For over a decade, IsraAid’s teams of professional medics, search and rescue squads, post-trauma experts and community mobilizers, have been first on the front lines of nearly every major humanitarian response in the 21st century. IsraAid’s mission is to efficiently support and meet the changing needs of populations as they strive to move from crisis to reconstruction/rehabilitation, and eventually, to sustainable living.
IsraAid has joined the Israel Defense Forces, Magen David Adom and Chabad in providing emergency, life saving humanitarian services in Nepal.
A global support page for Israel’s Nepal humanitarian efforts has been established at Israel4Nepal.com.
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