Nepal

In 2017, Nepal experienced sustained, heavy rain, resulting in severe flooding and landslides. Widespread damage to essential infrastructure, including schools, occurred and disrupted livelihoods, particularly in the Terai region. An initial rapid assessment found that over 1.7 million people had been affected by the flooding, with tens of thousands of houses destroyed and nearly half a million people displaced.

The educational emergency that occurred in the aftermath of the monsoons left nearly 200,000 students out of the classroom. Hundreds of schools were closed or unable to function normally due to severely damaged or destroyed assets and buildings; missing teaching and learning materials: unsafe classrooms; and malfunctioning sanitation facilities and drinking water sources. Schools that escaped damage served as emergency shelters, addressing the need for security but delaying access to education.

In response to the dire needs of Nepali children and adolescents, ECW launched a First Emergency Response (FER) programme to ensure continued access to learning despite the crisis. Grantees worked to establish an improved, more resilient educational infrastructure. ECW funding supported gender-segregated and disability-friendly water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) stations; conditional cash transfers to rehabilitate schools; the provision of educational resources; and training for teachers to better address emergency responses and the mental health of students.

All activities associated with this FER concluded in August 2019. ECW has no active programmes in Nepal.