It is in Sunsari that BMS partner, the United Mission to Nepal (UMN), has a ‘cluster’ and supports 18 organisations, and where cluster leader Bal Kumari Pun, a BMS supported partner worker is based.
Sunsari is a densely populated district with a wide range of ethnic groups, and a large number of migrants and indigenous people who are poor and lack access to basic resources.
A recent UMN report states that: “Lack of sanitation provision and inadequate supplies of food and clean water are claiming the lives of the most vulnerable.
“UMN is prioritising temporary shelter, food, heath and safety as the urgent needs. Temporary schools are also needed for the children.
“UMN, through its partners, has been actively involved in immediate relief and is committed to work with affected communities in rehabilitation and mitigation, as there will be a need for permanent housing and income generating activities.”
Alan Penn is a BMS mid-term worker who co-ordinates funding for UMN, whilst his wife Anne recruits expatriate personnel. Alan says, “My belief is that the relief agencies in Nepal are co-ordinating the response to this disaster very well. Although relief is not a primary objective of UMN, it is able to be fully involved in this situation”.
However, Alan and Anne added that the health of people in the camps was being compromised and said that they had heard of a number of deaths due to preventable diseases.
Water, sanitation and hygiene are a real concern. OCHA’s latest report states that: “Even though several agencies have constructed toilets, they are not enough to meet the need. In order to prevent outbreaks of disease, there is an urgent need to enhance sanitation facilities and raise hygiene awareness in the camps”.
Sunsari, and the neighbouring district of Saptari, also badly hit by August’s disaster, are parts of Nepal that are prone to flooding on an annual basis.
But, as
Jon and Nic White, BMS mid-term mission workers with UMN in Nepal, explain, this year’s flood has been particularly devastating.
“It’s the result of heavy monsoon rains, the silting-up of the main river and the lack of maintenance of a vital embankment.
“As is often the case in disasters like these, the numbers stated are hard to take in.
“For thousands of families life has just become even more of a struggle”.