Emergency Relief projects

Sunsar Maya provides emergency aid to our students and the communities in which we work when disaster strikes. 

A series of long-term lockdowns made life on the edge even more dire for far too many. Sunsar Maya leveraged partnerships to provide immediate and long-term emergency relief in the form of food and sanitation supply distributions, twice a month from April through December 2020.

• Distributed 72,725 pounds of food

• Fed 1,700 people over the course of 2020

• Provided 900+ at-home learning packets for SuMa After-School students

• Pivoted to digital learning for SuMa Women’s Literacy students equaling 1,800 hours of virtual learning

On April 25th, a devastating 8.1 earthquake struck 50 miles outside of Kathmandu.

Over the next month, a second 6.8 aftershock and 7.3 quake would hit again. The country suffered hundreds of aftershocks, some striking even a year later. For months, many slept outside in fear, and even more continued to because their homes had been destroyed. We at Sunsar Maya were incredibly lucky and relieved that all of our children and staff were safe. 

Following the first earthquake, while schools remained closed for over a month, we reopened the after-school program quickly and began operating full-day sessions to provide the children a sense of normalcy, routine, and a safe place to process the disaster. During the months following the earthquakes, our team provided emergency relief to our local community and the rural villages outside Kathmandu. 

• Provided food and supplies to approximately 2,000 families

• Delivered soft flooring and tin roofs to protect against the monsoon season for those left homeless

• Ran medical clinics that provided free treatment and medicine to hundreds of people

• Rebuilt schools and homes in villages