NAFA is an entirely volunteer-run, Australia-based international aid organisation that has supported education, health, disability, childcare and economic development projects in Nepal since it was formed in 1989.

In 2020, NAFA allocated $78,202 towards eleven ongoing education, health, disability and child care programs. NAFA also allocated $13,902 to purchase Covid-19 personal protective equipment, supplies and provide additional support e.g. food packages for six NAFA funded partners, a school and local community in Thimi, people with a disability in Pokhara and an organisation supporting front-line health workers.

Significantly, NAFA has partnered with three like-minded philanthropists, who have contributed $62,691 in support of NAFA projects in Nepal that focussed on the development and sustainability of an agricultural cooperative supporting farmers in five remote villages.

At midnight on 3rd November 2023, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal in the remote and impoverished districts of Jajarkot and Rukum, a region which lies some 500km west of Kathmandu. It was the deadliest earthquake to hit Nepal since 2015. With many families homeless, and the winter months fast approaching, NAFA was committed to finding a meaningful way to help. In late December 2023 and early 2024 NAFA launched an appeal to help pregnant women and mothers with newborns who were left without shelter or food.

NAFA is delighted to report we allocated nearly $23,000 to this project. $12,000 sourced from funds raised from our online appeal and the remainder from NAFA savings. Each woman received:

• A thermal mat to provide insulation form the cold ground
• Two warm shawls, one for the mother and one for her baby
• A small pressure cooker to prepare food
• A flask to keep boiled water warm and available
• a water filter and a 20l bucket
• A quantity of simple local foods such as Shatu and Kwati, which are highly nutritious and easily prepared in a small pressure cooker.

The much needed disaster relief project was well managed by Chay Ya Nepal, a Kathmandu-based aid organisation working in the area. They identified women in need and supervised the aid distribution. By buying in bulk through trusted outlets, NAFA’s donation went further than envisaged.

In total, 495 women received assistance, a great outcome for women and their babies in an extremely vulnerable situation.

A big thank you to all donors. Your generosity has saved lives in the aftermath of a natural disaster.