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Oxfam to help at least 350,000 victims of Nepal earthquake
Oxfam on Tuesday stepped up its relief effort to help an initial 350,000 people hit by the earthquake in Nepal, providing clean water, toilets and shelter to thousands of people
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xfam on Tuesday stepped up its relief effort to help an initial 350,000 people hit by the earthquake in Nepal, providing clean water, toilets and shelter to thousands of people.
The international aid agency says it is working in four open-air sites in the Kathmandu Valley - delivering water and building toilets.
"Over the coming days we will work with other agencies to provide clean water to 16 open-air sites set up by the Nepalese government and to provide food and shelter, while also expanding operations outside Kathmandu," Oxfam said on Tuesday.
The agency says it has so far raised over US$1.5m ' a fantastic initial response ' but more is needed.
More than 3.5 million people are estimated to have been affected by the earthquake that hit on Saturday. The death toll, which currently stands at more than 3,700, is continuing to rise as reports filter in from harder to reach areas.
More than 5 tons of water and sanitation materials have been dispatched from Oxfam's warehouse in Barcelona to help those hit by the crisis.
Oxfam says it has mobilized its response team from India to assess the humanitarian situation in Gorkha, the hardest hit district. The agency says it is also assessing what needs to be done to help people in Lalitpur, Lumjung District and across the border in India in Sitamarhi and Darbanga.
"The generosity of the public has been overwhelming and timely. However, as millions are now without safe shelter, clean water and sanitation due to this tragedy, more more is needed," Oxfam International executive director, Winnie Byanyima, said.
She said Nepal was among the world's poorest countries and lacked the infrastructure and resources to deal with a crisis of this scale.
"Our aim is to help as many people as quickly as possible through the money the public donates and through our determined team in Nepal," Byanyima said.
Oxfam humanitarian director, Jane Cocking, said hundreds of thousands of people had suddenly been left without adequate food, water, shelter and medical care.
"The damage to the infrastructure is huge and is making delivering aid quickly really challenging; we are now beginning to reach out outside the center of the Kathmandu Valley and looking into the needs of more remote areas," she said. (ebf)(+++)
