Nepal flood survivor fears for children’s future after losing husband and home

After catastrophic floods tore through communities in Nepal, a woman who lost her husband and everything her family had worked to build has described her fears for her children’s future. 

Dawasang is staying at a holding center in Tupche, Nuwakot district, following the Nepal floods. She and her family moved to Tupche two and a half years ago, hoping to build a safer life. Dawasang and her husband worked hard to establish themselves, buying a tractor, preparing farmland, and gradually building up their belongings. Then the flood swept it all away. 

Dawasang said: 

“Everything I had gathered with so much hardship is gone. Now I have nothing left. We are receiving relief for now, but what will we do when that runs out? Who will provide for my son and daughter?” 

Her younger son is in the 11th grade, while her daughter wants to continue her education after finishing 12th grade. Dawasang said:

““She keeps saying, ‘I want to study no matter what.’ All she talks about is studying. And now I’m worried about how I’m going to educate her.

We worked very hard to build up what we had. We bought a tractor, prepared the farmland and put in so much effort. Sometimes we worked even when we had nothing to eat. Now everything is gone.” 

Dawasang received cooking equipment, bedding, clothing, and hygiene items through ActionAid’s distribution. But her greatest concern is what happens to her children in the months and years ahead. She said:

“If something happens to me, I worry about my younger son and daughter. If someone could secure their future in some way, I would feel much more at ease. I still hope that someone might help them.” 

The disaster devastated communities along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems, destroying homes, farmland, roads, bridges, hydropower facilities, and livelihoods. Nearly three weeks after the floods, at least more than 1,000 people have been confirmed dead, and thousands more remain missing 

In Nuwakot, homes and farmland were destroyed, riverbanks devastated, and residents in Trishuli Bazar are clearing debris as communities begin the long recovery process. With bridges across the Trishuli River damaged, some communities rely on a Tuin, a cage suspended from a makeshift zip line, as a vital way to cross the river.

Sujeeta Mathema, Executive Director of ActionAid Nepal, traveled from Kathmandu to Tupche to meet affected communities and help distribute emergency assistance. The journey, which normally takes around two to two-and-a-half hours, took about seven-and-a-half hours because of road conditions. Describing what she witnessed, Sujeeta said: 

“When we spoke with people in the community, they could barely express their pain. They don’t know what to do or how to move forward. Some have gone to perform funeral rites, while others are still searching for people who are missing. They don’t even know whether some of their loved ones are dead or alive. 

This entire area used to be a settlement. Now it looks empty. I don’t even know what is underneath where I am standing.” 

ActionAid Nepal is providing emergency assistance to affected families. At Pioneer School in Tupche, the organization has distributed dignity and hygiene kits, men’s essentials, kitchen utensils, mattresses and blankets. But Sujeeta warned that the longer-term challenge is only beginning. She said:

“The immediate need here is massive. We can respond to some of those immediate needs now, but what long-term recovery will look like is still uncertain. People are staying in holding centres, schools or temporarily in other people’s homes. They will need temporary shelter, support to get children learning again and psychosocial support.” 

The disaster appears to have been triggered by a major collapse of glacier ice, rock and bedrock, setting off a cascading flood and debris flow through the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems. Scientists are still establishing the precise sequence of events, including the role of glacial and temporarily dammed water.

Sujeeta said the devastation should also force the international community to confront the wider injustice faced by countries such as Nepal, which have contributed little to global greenhouse gas emissions but face severe and escalating climate risks. 

“Nepal is suffering, but why are we paying this price? We are paying the price of global warming and climate injustice, despite contributing so little to causing this crisis. 

The world may now present Nepal as a case study. But what is happening here is also a warning to the world. If we do not act together for climate justice, disasters like this will not remain confined to Nepal.”