A second major earthquake struck Nepal on Tuesday 12th May, just two weeks after a devastating quake left nearly 8,000 people dead and three-million children in danger.
At least 65 people have been killed and 1,200 injured as a result and bodies are still being pulled from the rubble. Staff from aid agencies are on the ground providing life-saving support to children and their families.
The first 7.8 magnitude earthquake on Saturday 25th April ruined lives and destroyed infrastructure. Over 7,800 people are reported to have died and over 17,800 people were injured. This huge earthquake was followed by more than 60 aftershocks, which toppled homes and schools, forcing thousands of families into open spaces and temporary camps.
Many families are struggling to simply protect themselves from the sun and rain and it is expected that needs will grow in the coming days as more information is received from remote areas.
As children and families face the aftermath of this disaster, water supplies are running low and food is scarce.
The risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera is growing rapidly and at least 15,000 children with severe malnutrition need treatment. With the monsoon season only a few weeks away, children face greater risk of disease and infection.
A recent poll showed that one in four Britons have donated to the Disaster Emergency Committee’s (DEC) Nepal earthquake appeal in its first two weeks since its launch.
According to research from the Charities Aid Foundation, which surveyed more than 2,000 people, the key drivers that made people donate were the large number of people impacted by the earthquake (55 per cent of respondents cited this) and the belief that international aid is essential for helping the disaster (54 per cent).
The DEC’s appeal has raised more than £50m in its first fortnight, which is higher than the £34m raised in the first three months of its Ebola appeal.
Brendan Paddy, DEC’s head of communications, said: “Our donation levels have always varied significantly depending on the type of disaster concerned.
“Appeals triggered by earthquakes and the associated tsunami generally raise the highest totals. These are sudden and devastating events, producing a very high level of news coverage with shocking imagery. Quakes are seen as natural disasters and donors seem more likely to empathise in these cases than when we appeal in response to conflicts.”
Of those who had already donated to the appeal, 42 per cent of respondents said that television was the most influential media channel in encouraging them to donate. The research also found that those aged between 25 and 34 were most likely to donate, with 32 per cent in that age group doing so.
Cash has been the most common method of giving (32 per cent of respondents donated in this way), followed by online channels (30 per cent) and text messaging (22 per cent).
