“What do I even live for now?” Dorje* asks through tears.

Five weeks earlier, a devastating flash flood swept through his village in Nepal. Several members of his family were carried away in front of his eyes.

In the weeks that followed, Dorje was too traumatised to talk about what had happened. Like many survivors, he had been evacuated from his community and was staying in a collective centre in the city.

It was there that he met Pema,* one of our partners in Nepal and a certified counsellor who has been regularly visiting survivors.

Eventually, Dorje agreed to attend one of her group counselling sessions.

One after another, people began to open up. For hours, Pema sat with them as they shared stories of what they had seen, the people they had lost and the lives that had suddenly changed. Dorje shared too.

As the session came to an end, he had one more thing to say.

“I thought I had nothing left to live for, but now I have new hope again.”

The long road ahead

For survivors like Dorje, recovery will take time.

While immediate needs such as food, water and shelter have been met by our partners and various humanitarian organisations, recovery for these communities is only beginning. Our partners are continuing to walk alongside affected communities as longer-term needs emerge.

A community art space has been established to provide arts-based emotional support, while certified counsellors are providing further psychosocial care. Practical assistance is also continuing as needs are identified.

Attention is now turning to where families will live in the months ahead.

Our partners are surveying households as survivors prepare to move from collective centres into temporary housing. Where possible, transitional shelters could enable families to return to their villages. In areas where rebuilding is not yet permitted, families may need temporary accommodation in the city while community leaders and government authorities work through longer-term reconstruction.

There is a long road ahead. But our partners are committed to continuing alongside these communities, helping people process their grief, rebuild their lives and, like Dorje, begin to find hope again.

*Names changed for security.

If you would like to support the ongoing recovery work, please give now towards our Nepal Flood Emergency Appeal.