ACN Giving a Hand
ACN has begun to distribute essential food items to Nepali families in need due to the COVID-19 lockdown in Nepal. Many of these are daily wage workers who rely on wages they earn each day to buy food for that day, have little or no reserve and are running out of – or have already run out of food as the lockdown extends.
Raju, the Nepali Executive Director, reports:
Everyone Needs Help
We prepared packages of basic food items yesterday and were able to reach 52 people this afternoon. The local leaders had carefully prioritized those who were really helpless and in desperate need of food supplies as they had already run out of their provisions. We visited two nearby slum communities and reached individuals in the place where they are with the food supplies. In one community, we had allocated only 16 packs, but when we arrived, there were 32 households with food coming to an end in their kitchens and other people in the community in a similar situation. They all need assistance so they will share what they receive with other households as well.
Love your Neighbour
It is so humbling to see how their attitude has changed to take such care of their neighbours. There was a very old lady of around 80 years of age, who had no one to take care of her. She had nothing in her kitchen; we carried stuff into her room – a single room with a kitchen – and it was so delightful to be able to do so. She doesn’t hear clearly but smiled beautifully.
We met the local leaders and, considering the current situation, we agreed to do what we can rather discretely since there is so much need and our resources are so limited. It is really important to help those who are really struggling first, to support them to survive for a while until the lockdown is lifted or they can get more help.
We also distributed awareness posters and brochures about COVID-19 symptoms and prevention.
Please Help Us
Local government has appealed to NGO’s for help. We handed over a cheque of NPR 25,000 (AUD340) from ACN to the Mayor and the Vice Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan for the government to use in providing support to other needy households. They appreciated it and acknowledged it well by thanking us and considering it is an exemplary act for many others to follow. Tomorrow we are hoping to reach around 40 families with disabilities.
If you would like to assist this needy assistance plan please click on the Related Project in the right sidebar and then, choose “Donate to this Project” on its home page.