Updates on the COVID-19 surge in Nepal
Friday, May 14, 2021
Hello Friend,
It seems right now that all eyes are on Nepal as the recent surge of COVID-19 cases that is impacting our neighbor India has migrated across the border, impacting every community large and small. Nearly 65% of COVID-19 tests in the Karnali region, where Kopila Valley is located, have been positive. The new variant strains combined with a lack of medical infrastructure have made for a very dangerous situation. In the past few days, I’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of love and compassion I’ve seen filling my inbox as members of our larger BlinkNow family from around the world are reaching out to see how we’re holding up.
As you know, Jeremy and I have been away from Nepal for several months. We had plans to return this week now that we have both been fortunate enough to receive our vaccinations. Sadly the situation in Nepal, updated government-enforced lockdowns, and the blocking of all international flights have forced us to temporarily pause our travel plans. Until we’re able to return, we’re in ongoing contact with the Kopila Valley team in Nepal and we’re doing everything we can to support them as we’ve temporarily suspended our regular programming and have once again pivoted to how we can serve our community during these difficult times.
Here are some of the ways BlinkNow is continuing to serve our Kopila Valley community:
- Our Health & Wellness team is tracking the mental and physical health of our children and students on a daily basis. We’re administering COVID-19 tests as well as general health screenings. We’re offering mental health counseling and a therapy helpline for those struggling emotionally. In addition, we’ve reopened our emergency food bank and are providing deliveries to our most vulnerable students and their families.
- Our Children’s Home team is continuing to provide loving care for 40 children. Our staff has locked down our campus and the home is following the COVID-19 protocols we established when the first wave of cases hit Nepal in 2020.
- Our Kopila Valley School team has once again pivoted to a distance-learning curriculum, providing home learning materials to our students so that these lockdowns won’t create a gap in their education.
- Our Big Sisters’ Home is continuing to be a safe residential space for at-risk girls. This helps protect them from abuse, child marriage, and the dangerous chaupadi tradition.
- With gender-based violence also on the rise globally due to the pandemic, our Women’s Center team is committed to keeping the women of Surkhet safe. They remain in regular contact with the women enrolled in our programs even while our employment and literacy programs are paused, and we provide support as needed through our Health & Wellness team.
- Finally, because our staff is able to remain actively engaged with all of our program participants, we’re able to keep 100% of our Nepali staff employed amid the waves of lockdowns. This provides an important economic boost not only for the families of our staff but also for the larger community as they take part in the local economy.
If there is anything I have learned from Nepal in all my years, it’s that together, we are stronger. I would give anything to be there right now, and I am sorry to be so far away while so many in our community are hurting. Let’s work together to overcome this incredibly challenging time. I will continue to work with our team in Nepal to protect our students and families as best as we’re able, while I continue to keep you as updated as possible.
To our friends currently in Nepal, please spread the word about the importance of wearing masks, quarantining after travel, and abstaining from big social events like weddings. If everyone does their part, stays home, and follows public health advice, lives will be saved.
To our teams in Nepal and the US, to all the children and families of Kopila Valley, to the other incredible organizations fighting this fight, and to our family of supporters around the world, I want to say thank you. I’m sending my love and support to all the heroic medical workers across Nepal and India right now. The doctors in Surkhet are both my friends and my personal heroes. Please know I am thinking of all of you during these times, please do everything you can to stay safe and healthy, and know how much I love you.
Stay well,
Maggie