Field update supplied: 10 September
An update from the front lines of the flash floods relief effort in Nepal.
Two of our young Alongsiders are still missing, presumed lost. Their names are Shiva and Bishal. They were faithfully walking alongside two "little brothers" who are OK. Together we mourn their loss.
We are also trying to find info about a church that was washed away in another region with 17 confirmed dead. Some were Alongsiders.
The Alongsiders leadership and their relief team continues to travel into very remote and hard to reach areas affected by the flash floods.
Here is a snapshot of the main items that have been distributed so far through funds raised by Alongsiders. In addition to these, the team have been installing solar lights (for women and girls' safety at night) in some of the places where a lot of people are sheltering, as well as providing spiritual and emotional support.
Today we sent enough funds for another 1000 Dignity Kits along with other urgent items. You can see a video of the contents of these Dignity Kits here (16 items). This is Suren who is leading the efforts there. Please pray for him as he is very weary.
Heaps of blessings,
Craig on behalf of the Alongsiders team
PS. I mentioned last week the emerging danger of trafficking and Suren reported that someone had already been caught attempting to abduct a group of vulnerable girls.
Suren is currently working with a local church to ensure shelter and safety for the four girls we identified last week who had lost their parents. Please pray for them.
PPS. we are still sending funds to Nepal and the next phase once the main relief efforts are over, will be to run trauma and bereavement camps for affected children (the team there has experience running these).
GC3 note: If you would like to give to this ongoing relief effort please see donation options below.
7 September 2026 - Update from Alongsiders International
We continue to pray for two missing boys, Shiva and Bishal. At this point after the flash floods, hope is fading.
Sadly, we've also now heard of a whole Church washed away in Rasuwa: 17 people lost, including a number of Alongsiders. Details are not yet clear.
Suren, the Alongsiders leader in Nepal, told me he met one elderly man who had lost four sons, three daughters-in-law, a grandchild, and his wife. Only the man and his nine-year-old granddaughter survived. Their home, possessions and family were gone.
So far, thanks to your generosity, we have provided (and continue to provide right now):
Tarpaulins to help families shelter from the monsoon rains
Dignity Kits containing 16 essential items for women and girls, including sanitary pads
Clothing for people who survived with only what they were wearing and are very cold at night
Solar lamps, especially important for the safety of girls at night
Rice was not distributed in the first round because other organisations were already providing it. This has allowed us to focus our resources where urgent gaps remain.
The need is not only physical. Children are carrying deep psychological trauma, and families are grieving loved ones, homes and livelihoods. We plan to respond to this in the coming weeks, as the team there has previous training and experience in addressing trauma.
We are especially concerned about the dignity and safety of girls and young women sheltering in public areas with a lot of people. The solar lamps we are distributing are a crucial first step, and we'd like to distribute thousands more Dignity Kits if we have the funds.
Thanks for caring. Please continue to pray.
Craig Greenfield Alongsiders International
>>>Please see ways you can donate below
Initial Update - 1 September
On 26 August, flash floods tore through northern Nepal, triggered by a glacial lake outburst and torrential rain in the Himalayan region. In a matter of hours, entire villages were swept away. Hundreds of lives have been lost, with over 500 confirmed deaths and close to 1,000 people still missing. At least 93,000 people have been affected (as of 31 August).
The destruction goes far beyond the immediate loss of life. Homes, roads, bridges and schools have been destroyed: 18 schools alone are gone, leaving an estimated 10,000 children without a place to learn. Whole communities are now cut off, with aid unable to reach them by road. Families who survived the floods are facing a second crisis: disease risk from disrupted water and sanitation, and the threat of further flooding as the region remains unstable.
In the middle of this, our partners at Alongsiders already have local people on the ground. Alongsiders works through teams embedded in their own communities across Nepal: the same people who were mentoring and discipling children and youth before the floods hit are now responding and reaching out to those who are displaced.
We are inviting you to stand with them.
Please pray: for those still searching for missing loved ones, for the safety of relief workers reaching cut-off communities, and for Alongsiders' teams as they care for those who have lost their homes, and in some cases, family members.
If you're able to give as well, your gift would help local teams provide emergency food, clean water, shelter and care for children and families who have lost everything, and to keep walking alongside them through the long recovery that follows once the news moves on.
But above all, please pray.
