Our COVID-19 Response

 

Update July 14, 2020
While 2020 has brought on new challenges and hardships for the people in our local Surkhet community as well as our entire global family, when we see the smiles on our Kopila Valley kids faces, we are reminded that every day we are doing something incredible to help shape the future of Nepal. As our work supporting the Migrant Worker Crisis has slowed while we work to distribute the last of the donations sent for this relief, our ongoing programs continue to run and we are so proud of what our small-but-mighty team has accomplished.

  • Our Kopila Valley Children's School team distributed the next round of learning materials, this time the packets included social studies materials. They are currently in talks about what the future holds and planning the safe reopening of the school.
  • Our Women’s Center is planning income-generation workshops. They've also launched a new homestay program, we will share all these exciting details soon.
  • In our Children’s Home, the 10th graders all had meetings to plan for their "next step" in their education. This is the time of year they would traditionally go on a Quest Trek. This year, because of the COVID-19 risk, they are now planing a 5-day workshop with Quest Trek.
  • In our Big Sister’s Home, they have started formal life skills training with the two staff members in the home.

 

 

Update June 29, 2020
BlinkNow’s team will now continue to do what we do best—changing the world by empowering Nepal's children and serving our local Surkhet community. While the day-to-day focus of our team is now shifting away from an emergency migrant worker crisis, we will continue to use our voice, our networks, and our relationships to inspire the creativity, coordination, and problem-solving needed to make a difference in Nepal. We will also continue to serve the migrant worker community with the remainder of the funds you generously donated to this effort. Thank you for trusting us to make a difference; we invite you to stay involved and read more about our efforts in this letter from Maggie and please follow #WelcomeHomeNepal to see how other organizations are stepping in to help make a difference.

 

READ MAGGIE'S UPDATE FROM JUNE 26›

 

 

Update June 16, 2020
These past two weeks have been busy for our Kopila Valley teams, as they worked to tackle the Nepali migrant worker crisis. This entire crisis has reminded us of the power of our community. We’ve seen donations come from around the world and an outpouring of support—including Nepali influencers who donated their time to create a viral social media campaign. To date, we’ve been able to provide support to over 34,000 migrant workers and family members.

As a portion of our staff tackled the migrant crisis response, the remainder of our team maintained our mission—changing the world by empowering Nepal's children. Our Nepali and U.S. staff did what we do best, and ensured our core programs continued unimpeded. 

  • We completed another round of Foodbank distributions, reaching those most in need within our Surkhet community. 
  • Our education team provided additional at-home curriculum packets, reaching our 429 students with over 1000 packets of materials. They work in close partnership with our social work team as they conduct home calls, checking on the wellbeing of our students and their families. 
  • We have continued to love and care for 54 kids in our Children’s Home and 10 girls in our Big Sister’s Home. The children pass their days by playing, completing their education packets, and creating art. 
  • Our Women’s Center has transitioned to sewing PPE, allowing for health workers in Surkhet to stay protected against COVID-19. 

Our team now stands ready to continue building connections between those who NEED help and those who CAN help, tomorrow and into the future. We will continue to use our voice, our networks, and our relationships to inspire the creativity, coordination, and problem-solving needed to make a difference in Nepal. And, as always, we remain committed to creating a world where every child is safe, healthy, and loved. 

 

 

Update May 28, 2020
This week has been a busy one for our Kopila Valley teams, as they were faced with a new emergency need within our larger Nepali community. Over 100,000 migrant workers and their families were allowed to return to Nepal from India, creating a crisis as these individuals need food, water, shelter, and access to medical testing before they can return to their communities. BlinkNow was able to step in and meet some of the emergency needs of food and water, while also serving as a liaison between the local government and larger aid organizations— bridging the gap until large scale relief efforts can be put into place. 

Despite our emergency efforts to help the migrant workers returning to Nepal, rest assured that our team continues to provide for our local community and we are committed to protecting the safety of the children and families we serve. 

  • Foodbank distributions continue as scheduled for families within our Surkhet community. Since our emergency response efforts began, we have distributed food to feed thousands of individuals. 
  • Our education team continues to provide an at-home curriculum for 429 students and has maintained a phone call system to check-in our students and their families. They are busy developing longer-term education plans to reach our students as lockdown continues.
  • We have continued to love and care for 54 kids in our Children’s Home and 10 girls in our Big Sister’s Home.
  • All staff who has been involved in the migrant worker outreach has taken steps to protect themselves, as well as the children in our residential programs by self-isolating when they return to our campus each night. 

Your ongoing support of BlinkNow is what makes our work possible. You allow us to continue to meet the needs of the families and children we serve in Surkhet and those in the greater Nepali community. Thank you for being a part of this amazing work.

 

 

Update May 15, 2020
When Nepal entered the government-mandated lockdown it was hard for us to imagine the impact this important health intervention would have in our community. Despite the great number of challenges this created for our programs, the stay-at-home orders have also inspired an outpouring of generosity and creativity from our staff, families, and supporters.  As we are getting ready to now enter our 8th week of sheltering in place we are continuing our efforts to provide for our community and are excited to share some of our progress thus far. 

  • This week we began our third round of food bank distributions. Since our emergency response efforts began, we have distributed over 100,000 pounds of food to hundreds of families. 
  • A counselor attended this week’s distributions, to help make sure that the social and emotional wellbeing needs of the families and women’s center participants are being met. 
  • We’ve been able to keep our local Nepali staff employed. This allows them to provide for their families and neighbors. 
  • We have maintained our Health Clinic Team, which allows us to remain a health resource for our community. This team has played a key role in preparing the food kits that we distribute through our food bank, helping ensure that healthy, nutritious foods are being delivered to our community. 
  • Just like teachers around the world, our education team got creative and worked to provide an at-home curriculum for 429 students without internet, tablets, and books at home.
  • We have continued to love and care for 54 kids in our Children’s Home and 10 girls in our Big Sister’s Home.

Your ongoing support of BlinkNow is what makes our work possible. You allow us to continue to meet the needs of the families and children we serve in Surkhet. Thank you for being a part of our family.

 

 

 

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Update April 23, 2020
This week marked a full month since Nepal issued the stay-at-home orders that continue to impact our community in Surkhet. While these orders are part of the global effort to slow the spread and keep communities safe from COVID-19, they also mean many of the families we serve face new challenges, including unemployment and hunger. In response to the growing need in our community, BlinkNow launched Emergency Relief efforts three weeks ago. Since then:

  • Our team has distributed supply packages—with enough rice, dahl, oil for cooking, soap, and fresh vegetables to last 2 weeks—to over 700 grateful families. 
  • We are working to maintain relationships with local farmers and suppliers, as we are seeing shortages of supplies such as cooking oil in the stores. These relationships allow us to still purchase food, although the impact of the lockdown continues to grow each day and the vegetable supply is becoming more limited.
  • We’re continuing to work with the local government and are pleased to see they are taking steps to better reach those in need within the community. 
  • Our Children’s Home remains a loving and safe place for our 54 children, and our college students remain safe together on our campus as well.
  • The Big Sister’s Home continues to serve as a safe refuge for at-risk teenage girls.
  • Our Education Team is hard at work preparing workbooks and school packets, so our students can begin learning from home. 
  • Our Women’s Center staff are in regular contact with our participants to make sure their needs are being met during this time as well.
  • Finally, we have increased our Security Team and have worked to increase the number of staff who can safely maintain our animals and vegetable gardens. 

 

 

Update April 15, 2020
On April 4th, we implemented emergency relief efforts to distribute food from our newly established food bank to the families most in need in our community. Every day, we learn more about the impact of the government-mandated stay-at-home orders and the rising COVID-19 threat in our community. Since then:

  • We have been able to work with local farmers and purchase supplies of fresh produce and dry goods. 
  • As new supplies were purchased, our Health & Wellness team immediately packaged and distributed them. So far they have reached hundreds of families within our community.
  • We continue to work with the local government to comply with local ordinances and stay-at-home orders while reaching the members of our community. 
  • At all times, we’re following the recommendations of global health agencies to keep our staff protected. 
  • All 54 children in our home are safe and healthy, while our Big Sisters Home remains open to provide a loving and safe space for the residents. 
  • The need in our community grows each day as more families run out of food and other supplies.
  • We stand prepared to respond, as the situation in Nepal continues to change day-by-day and week-by-week.

 

 

 

Update April 5, 2020
Two weeks ago, the Nepali government closed the borders in efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Nepal. Since then:

  • Our teachers have implemented a phone-based communication protocol, in order to reach our students and their families to check-in and provide updates about community resources. 
  • We have learned the stay-at-home orders are being strictly enforced, which is drastically impacting the families of our students. Caretakers typically work for daily wages—as laborers, farmers, or selling in the market—making only enough money to purchase food for the day for their families.
  • The local government is still working to establish a food distribution program in the community, many families are reporting through teacher check-ins that they only have enough food for 2 to 4 more days. 
  • Yesterday, we began delivering food packages to families of our students most in need. 
  • We have learned that many of the families may be ineligible for the government-run food distribution programs, so it is our role as a non-profit organization to fill in this gap. 
  • We continue to monitor the situation on the ground in Surkhet and all of Nepal.
  • Feeding these families is now our most urgent need. 
     

 

Update March 29, 2020
As the threat of COVID-19 continues to spread, we are working tirelessly to protect all of our students, our staff, and the families in our community. Over the past two weeks, we have implemented many changes following recommendations from the Nepali government and international health organizations:

  • We made the difficult decision to finish the school year early. 
  • We built stockpiles of supplies like food, fuel, and cleaning supplies at the school and children’s home. 
  • We have established a food bank and are developing long-term plans to distribute meals should access to food become more limited within our community. 
  • We have arranged for our Futures Program students studying at colleges in other parts of the country to return home. These 16 young adults are currently living in the apartment across the street for the duration of the recommended 14-day quarantine. 
  • We connected with each of our young adults studying abroad to ensure they were safe with host families or allowed to stay self-quarantined on their campuses. 
  • Our health workers remain on call to provide for the daily medical needs of our staff and the 54 children, and to serve as a resource for the families of our students at home. 
  • We limited the number of staff at the Kopila Valley Children’s Home and officially closed our campus. 
  • Maggie, Top, and our head caretakers are staying in the home with the children. 

 

 

Update March 19, 2020
Times like these remind us of how important family and community are. Right now, Kopila Valley is preparing for times of uncertainty as the coronavirus threat continues to reach around the globe. So many of you have sent personal notes, checking in on the children and Maggie, and we cannot thank you enough for your incredible support. 

We want you to know that we have been taking action to protect the children in our home, the students in our school, and all the members of the community we serve. While there is still much unknown about the status of COVID-19 in Nepal, we are listening to global health experts and are in regular contact with the local Nepali government. Over the past month, based on these conversations, we have taken the following actions:

  • We held school-wide training sessions to remind our students about proper handwashing techniques and taught them to limit contact with their fellow students.
  • The guardians of our school children were sent educational handouts with virus prevention tips.
  • Awareness programs were also held at our Big Sister's Home. 
  • We began gathering additional supplies and updated our visitor policy. 
  • Signs were hung in all of our program areas to remind everyone of the best steps to stay healthy. This includes handwashing and social distancing.
  • As more has been learned about the nature of the COVID-19 virus, all of our staff received specific instructions on disinfecting surfaces and dishes. 
  • Our Women's Center suspended its activities. 
  • Our office staff began working from home.

 

Your encouragement has a tremendous impact in Nepal and we are truly grateful for our family of BlinkNow supporters. We hope you are all safe and healthy. Thank you for looking out for us, as we must all look out for one another during times like these. We are one human family and we are all in this together. 

 

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