Jajarkot, December 25, 2023: Honorable Minister for Women, Children, and Senior Citizens, Surendra Raj Acharya, visited Save the Children’s earthquake response program in Bheri – 1, Rawat Gaun of Jajarkot district on Monday. During the visit, Minister Acharya handed over winterization tents provided by the European Union to Save the Children. These tents aim to protect the impacted communities from the harsh cold following the devastating 6.4 earthquake that struck Jajarkot and Rukum West on November 3, 2023.

At the handover event, Minister Acharya said, “The government is committed to ensuring the protection, safety, and rehabilitation of communities affected by the earthquake. It is closely collaborating with organizations such as Save the Children to effectively distribute life-saving aid to the affected communities, with a particular focus on women, children, pregnant and lactating mothers.” He also interacted with lactating and pregnant mothers who were living under the tent and expressed the government’s commitment to allocate more resources to support earthquake impacted communities.

Echoing Minister Acharya’s call for collaborative actions to address the immediate needs of earthquake-affected communities, Tara Chettry, Acting Country Director of Save the Children stated, “The collaboration among the government, local development partners have enabled us to promptly reach out to the most affected communities, providing them with immediate life-saving support. We are confident that the winterization tents funded by the EU will save the lives of many children, women, and the elderly facing extreme cold.” Since the earthquake, 32 people, including three children, have succumbed to extreme cold.

On December 8^th, the European Union provided Save the Children with 800 winterization tents to distribute in earthquake-impacted areas of Jajarkot and Rukum West. These tents are fire-retardant, waterproof, equipped with stoves, and offer a total living area of 23 square meters, designed to withstand harsh winter conditions.

As part of post-earthquake humanitarian programs, Save the Children has supported earthquake-affected communities with temporary shelters, psychosocial support, temporary learning centers for children, winterization tents, dignity and hygiene kits, and child-friendly spaces to protect vulnerable children, women, and communities most in need.

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For further information, please contact:

Ayush Shrestha Joshi

Director – Advocacy, Campaigns, Communications, and Media (ACCM)
ayush.joshi@savethechildren.org