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Charities work together to race four tonnes of emergency aid to disaster-hit Nepal

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 11:02:49 GMT

Shiva Charity is working with multi-agency teams to reach stranded communities in a fast-paced relief effort

Shiva Charity and partners are racing four tonnes of emergency aid to communities devastated by the catastrophic floods in Nepal, as the death toll rises above 1,250 and more than 4,200 people remain missing.

Shiva Charity has worked with Water Survival Box to enable the mobilisation of 200 boxes of emergency supplies - around four tonnes of aid on 10 pallets - and has secured a charitable airlift to Kathmandu through Airlink.

The charity has already donated £7,500 to Water Survival Box to support the emergency response, while teams in Nepal are working with local organisations to identify communities where help is most urgently needed.

The challenge is not simply getting aid into Nepal, it is getting it to the people who need it most.

Roads and bridges have been destroyed, mountain routes are treacherous after the monsoon rains, and some communities remain extremely difficult to reach. Shiva Charity is working with Community Development Centre Nepal , JCI Kavre and REACT , a disaster-response organisation involving former British military personnel, to coordinate logistics and delivery.

Shiva's three-person Nepal team - Pujan, Devraj and Ronee - are already working on the ground. Their local knowledge and relationships are proving vital in identifying communities that could otherwise be missed.

Pujan, who has been visiting affected areas, described the situation in stark terms:

“The smell of death in the valley was overwhelming.”

Tony Hobden, CEO of Shiva Charity, said:

“This is an enormous disaster and the scale of the need is almost impossible to comprehend. Our priority is to move quickly, but also to make sure that aid gets to the right people. There is no point sending aid somewhere simply because it is accessible if the communities most in need are somewhere else.”

Shiva Charity has 31 years of experience working in Nepal, including its response to the 2015 earthquake. But Tony says the current disaster presents an entirely different logistical challenge.

“The mountain roads are incredibly difficult. They are small, muddy and treacherous, and we are hearing of vehicles sliding off roads and down the mountainside. This is why working with people who know the terrain, the communities and the logistics is so important.”

Every donation goes into the relief response

Shiva Charity is urging the public to support its emergency appeal.

No administration costs are being deducted from donations. Money raised is being used for the relief response, with unavoidable direct logistical costs such as local trucks, drivers and feeding volunteers.

The emergency appeal has already raised around £27,000, including great support from specialist trekking company Mountain Kingdoms, but significantly more is needed as the scale of the disaster becomes clearer.

DONATE NOW:

www.justgiving.com/page/nepalfloods

From a tiny pink scooter to emergency relief

The emergency response is a pivot from the charity's Scoot 4 Nepal campaign, in which Tony Hobden will attempt a 1,000km charity ride across Nepal's notoriously difficult mountain roads in November 2026 - on a tiny 125cc pink scooter.

The original challenge is raising money to provide water purification systems for schools, helping protect children from illness caused by unsafe drinking water.

The focus for now has shifted firmly to the emergency, although water purification units will be crucial in the mid-term disaster response.

“The scooter challenge is still happening, but right now Nepal needs us to respond to this disaster,” said Tony.

Friends of Midnapore - Newsletter June 2020

clivehughes@mac.com (Clive Hughes) — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 09:42:42 GMT

Supporting pre-primary schools in West Bengal

Beautiful West Bengal – change and continuity – paddy fields recently flooded to create vast lucrative fish farms, shimmering reflections of squat red-roofed village houses and diving water birds.

Yet we find continuity and stability in the small rural villages where our schools serve their communities. As ever, my annual visit reassures me that good work is happening here. The teachers run their schools with a confidence coming from the daily practice of their skills yet they are ever open to new ideas and innovation.

A collection of locally gathered leaves are used to develop hand eye coordination and social skills whilst creating a group collage. Peace and calm prevail whilst they work.

Students’ attention is held with colourful real objects that are part of a young child’s life’s experience. Glossy peppers and

apples are passed to eager hands, discussed and named.

Teachers meet to make their own teaching materials and share well-used ideas. Materials are carefully and respectfully stored, protected against wind, rain, dust and paper-boring insects. So many challenges in this tropical climate.

Parents appreciate the firm yet caring ways of these local known women who are our teachers, and the inclusive learning atmosphere created.

A big thankyou from myself and all the wonderful teachers of West Bengal

Friends of Midnapore NEWSLETTER - April 2021

clivehughes@mac.com (Clive Hughes) — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 14:14:43 GMT

Supporting pre-primary schools in West Bengal

Sadly Maggie is unable to visit the Midnapore village schools

this year. She is missing the familiar scenes of village life at this

attractive time of the year. The climate is gently warming,

mosquitoes are few, farmers are ankle deep in water, planting

the fresh green shoots of the paddy crop and the vegetable

gardens are full of cabbages, cauliflower and tomatoes. It’s a

pleasure to drive the dusty roads on Kustav’s motorbike as we

happily exchange school news that he can share as the

schools supervisor. Approaching each village we would hear

the guiding voice of the teacher and the loud enthusiastic

responses from the students.

However, these are happy memories from other years.

To enable me to write this newsletter, I have emailed the project

accountant, Kundan, who knows the villages well. He tells me

that the schools are closed but plan to open in April.

The teachers keep in contact with parents by home visits and

phone calls. Encouraging parents with home schooling knows

no boundaries.

We have continued to pay the teachers’

salaries to help support their families as many husbands have

lost their work. Kundan says there is little virus sickness but

there is scarcity of food, poverty and some breakdown in

fa mily and village life.

So, it’s ever important that we continue to give our reliable help

to the village schools. The young students will benefit from the

security of the family atmosphere of their school communities.

They will continue to build the foundations of their future

education in the care of their committed teachers.

Please will you help us to fulfil this aim

with your continuing support

AN IMPORTANT CHANGE

Please note that Youth Education Service is no longer lookingafter our finances. We are happy that Shiva Charity reg no1045197 is now managing all funds. If you wish to donateeither a single payment or by making a direct debit, please contact Shiva Charity.