Since May 2021, World Vision has been supporting the Government of Nepal in battling the second wave of Covid-19 through its 90-day response Nepal COVER (Covid-19 Emergency Response Project: Phase II).

The first 30 days of the response focused on strengthening government medical services and protecting health workers as they responded to the health crisis by providing much-needed medical equipment such as oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, oximeters, and PPEs. Additionally, the program joined efforts to contain Covid-19 through integrated messaging on preventive measures, vaccinations, and isolation.

Following the distribution of medical equipment including 1,433 oxygen cylinders to the federal, provincial and local governments, World Vision focused on livelihood support to the most impacted and vulnerable families across 16 districts (Kanchanpur, Bajhang, Doti, Achham, Kailali, Jumla, Banke, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Lamjung, Sindhuli, Udayapur, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Mahottari and Dhanusha) in Nepal.

On 17 June 2021, 69 households at Om Himalayan Brick Industry in Chandragiri, Kathmandu, were provided food supplies and hygiene kits. A total of 245 individuals, including 184 adults and 61 children, benefited from the support. Mina (name changed), one of the recipients who arrived to collect the support with her 13-year-old daughter shares, “World Vision has been supporting us continuously during this time of Covid-19 crisis. I remember receiving support from them last year. This year, during the second wave of the Covid-19 wave too, they have been helping us a lot. The food and hygiene kits we received today will help us sustain for the next two months.”

A family of four, Mina, her husband, her 10-year-old son, and her daughter moved to Kathmandu for a better life from the remote Rolpa district six years ago. Like Mina, Kanchan (name changed) lives around Om Himalayan Brick Industry with her husband and two children. Her husband, a driver, has been struggling to find work due to the lockdown. “We have been struggling a lot to earn right now. During this difficult time, the support we have received today will help us sustain for the next 1.5-2 months. We’re grateful to World Vision for supporting us during this time of crisis,” shares Kanchan.

The brick kilns are sources of seasonal employment for laborers from the most vulnerable regions of Nepal and India. People migrate to Kathmandu each year along with their families to work in the kilns. The Covid-19 pandemic has gravely impacted most of the kilns—most of them have shut down or are unable to pay their workers.

To sum up, World Vision has been responding to the Covid-19 crisis in Nepal by supporting the government of Nepal and health facilities with the provision of medical supplies, including oxygen cylinders; supporting holding centers with the provision of items such as beds; spreading awareness about Covid-19 through integrated messaging on preventive measures, vaccinations, and isolation; providing psychological counseling support as per need to children and their families; and implementing multi-sectoral initiatives including education, livelihood, along with support to monsoon-affected families with cash for livelihood options, consumption support, agri-input support, non-food items, and business recovery support.

The response that was implemented from May to July 2021 utilized a total of $828,203 and World Vision could reach out to 207,000 individuals, 65,000 children, and 9,000 vulnerable households.