Convoy of Hope Activates Nepal Networks for Earthquake Relief

Though the Nepal earthquake has shaken world headlines in recent days, Convoy of Hope may have unknowingly planted seeds of recovery there several years before.

A faith-based compassion organization dedicated to bringing people out of poverty across the world, Convoy of Hope is no stranger to bringing relief and, yes, hope to disaster-stricken communities. Since 1998, the organization has responded to many major disasters across the world, including 2005’s Hurricane Katrina, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2011 Joplin tornado, the 2010 Chile earthquake and the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Jeff Nene, national spokesperson for Convoy of Hope, believes the organization has learned and grown through its experiences bringing aid to such communities throughout the years. He sees several similarities between the Haiti earthquake and the Nepal earthquake in particular, from the nature of the devastation to the difficulty in transporting food and supplies to the affected areas, and says it is “an area we feel like we’re equipped to go in and handle.”

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, and its communities have been devastated by the earthquake. Thankfully, Convoy of Hope’s long history of outreach and disaster relief has given them an advantage to help with this latest tragedy.

The organization has already established several key partners in Nepal, a hallmark of Convoy of Hope’s strategy. By using local partners who know the culture, language and terrain of an area, they are able to not only make a quick impact in the short term, but also to train and educate those partners to continue the organization’s work of alleviating poverty and its root causes long after Convoy of Hope’s focus has necessarily moved to another region in need.

Convoy of Hope responded to severe flooding in the country in 2008, beginning to establish a network of trusted partners to help them in their mission. Two years later, the organization trained their Nepalese partners in earthquake preparedness, in a masterstroke of foresight that only God could have ordained.

But despite any benefit that advanced preparedness may have afforded the partners and those they taught in the intervening years, the earthquake has shaken this nation to its core.

“Some of our partners are sleeping in tents outside because they’re afraid of buildings collapsing from the aftershocks,” Nene said. “There’s high levels of anxiety and uncertainty as the people don’t know if they’re going to be OK, nor where they’re going to get their next meal or drink of water.”

Convoy of Hope already has a team of four on the ground who are working with the partners and further developing that network for the current crisis, as well as procuring locally sourced goods and transportation methods to help meet the physical needs of the people.

“This response is different than in years past,” Nene said when asked about how readers can help. “While donated products are a large part of many of our disaster relief efforts, the long shipping time from our Springfield, Missouri, headquarters makes this method prohibitive for getting food and supplies to affected communities. This is a much more cash-intensive drive, as we must purchase the goods closer to the sites in order to offer a timely response to the need there.”

Nene also recommends checking out Charity Navigator, an organization that vets various charities and issues ratings based on reliability and other factors, to explore some of the other groups that are also helping out in Nepal. Charity Navigator has given Convoy of Hope its top rating 12 years running.

To donate to Convoy of Hope’s efforts in Nepal, click here.