{"id":5833,"date":"2016-04-25T19:52:10","date_gmt":"2016-04-26T01:52:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/?p=5833"},"modified":"2016-04-25T19:52:10","modified_gmt":"2016-04-26T01:52:10","slug":"5-lessons-from-the-nepal-earthquake-for-the-japan-and-ecuador-disasters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/americanbuddhist\/2016\/04\/5-lessons-from-the-nepal-earthquake-for-the-japan-and-ecuador-disasters.html","title":{"rendered":"5 Lessons from the Nepal Earthquake for the Japan and Ecuador Disasters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

A Year After the Earthquake, Nepal Is a Man-Made Disaster.<\/p>\n

This is the headline today<\/a> at the Huffington Post at least. The news from PRI isn\u2019t much better:\u00a0One year after Nepal\u2019s devastating earthquake, much of the country is still in ruins<\/a>. And this CNN video<\/a> concludes with a quote from residents saying that \u201cthey don\u2019t think their country will ever be the same again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Nepali
Nepali Woman, Kathmandu; photo by Lyle Vincent (flickr C.C.<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When I wrote about the Nepal earthquake a year ago, I listed 5 Ways to Help victims<\/a>, with a link to Global Giving second on the list.<\/p>\n

This week they have written about lessons learned from that disaster in the hopes for a stronger and more rapid\u00a0recovery in Japan and Ecuador.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here are the 5 lessons learned\u00a0after the Nepal earthquakes that have implications for donors who want to support Ecuador or Japan, from\u00a0GlobalGiving<\/a>:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Provide support now.<\/b>\u00a0Local organizations need fast, flexible funding after a disaster to be able to pivot their work to support their communities. Waiting until after the dust settles is often too late. Breaking through standard fundraising barriers will enable those in need to get immediate emergency support.<\/li>\n
  2. Donate to local organizations.<\/b>\u00a0According to the\u00a0Overseas Development Institute (ODI)<\/a>, the UK\u2019s leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues, 81 percent of funding from donor countries goes to big-name nonprofits and agencies. Go direct to the source and use crowdfunding to connect with local organizations to have the greatest impact.<\/li>\n
  3. Cash is best<\/b>. Monetary support (instead of in-kind donation of things) is usually the most effective way to support people in times of crisis. For guidance on how to donate, check out the\u00a0USAID Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) Donation Guidelines<\/a>.<\/li>\n
  4. Self-reliance drives sustainable recovery. \u00a0<\/b>By providing flexible, ongoing support, and appropriate training and follow-up, we can help communities become more self-reliant than they were before the disaster. This ensures that communities can have a sustainable recovery from a disaster and will continue to thrive even after international aid organizations leave and emergency relief operations wind down.<\/li>\n
  5. Stay Involved.\u00a0<\/b>In addition to funding during and immediately after a crisis, local organizations need ongoing funding to sustain the recovery for months and even years. According to the\u00a0Center for Disaster Philanthropy<\/a>, the largest percentage of post-disaster giving is focused on initial rescue and relief (42 percent) while a far smaller percentage (19 percent) targets longer term reconstruction and recovery efforts. Longer-term funding is critical to help communities become more resilient against future disasters.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u201cThe events in Nepal have shown us that we are in a very critical time with both the Ecuador and Japan relief efforts,\u201d said Mari Kuraishi, co-founder and president of GlobalGiving. \u201cWe know donors like to give the majority of funds right after a disaster occurs, but that these funds need to last for the duration of the recovery efforts, which can span years. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve been working day and night to support the best local organizations that provide the greatest impact to drive relief and recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Supporting Ecuador & Japan<\/b><\/p>\n

    GlobalGiving has created an\u00a0Ecuador Earthquake Relief Fund<\/a>\u00a0to support relief and recovery efforts after the Ecuador earthquake. Initially, the funds will help first responders meet survivors\u2019 immediate needs for food, fuel, clean water, hygiene products, and shelter. Once initial relief work is complete, the projects will transition to support longer-term recovery efforts run by local, vetted organizations. To donate or stay up to date on the support being provided to Ecuador, visit\u00a0http:\/\/www.globalgiving.<\/wbr>org\/ecuador<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    The\u00a0GlobalGiving Kumamoto Relief Fund<\/a>\u00a0is supporting immediate and long-term recovery efforts in Kumamoto, Japan after two deadly earthquakes, significant aftershocks, and landslides. GlobalGiving has relationships with many nonprofits in Japan and is getting funds quickly to vetted, locally-driven organizations who are best-positioned to provide immediate relief and to drive long-term recovery in their own communities. To donate or stay up to date on the support being provided to Japan, visit\u00a0http:\/\/www.globalgiving.<\/wbr>org\/japan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    GlobalGiving and its partners will be providing ongoing updates and reports on both recent disasters. For up-to-the minute reports and to learn how funds are being used, visit\u00a0https:\/\/www.<\/wbr>globalgiving.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    One-Year Later: Reflecting on Nepal Disaster, How To Help Rebuilding Efforts<\/b><\/p>\n

    On April 25, 2015, Nepal was impacted by an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8Mw. The disaster shocked the world, and the event impacted more than 8 million people, caused 8,000+ deaths and injured 21,000 people.<\/p>\n

    Since the crisis occurred, GlobalGiving has worked with local nonprofits and organizations on the ground to provide relief and to help rebuild the community,\u00a0raising more than $6 million in donations that went to 83 local organizations<\/a>. The funding supported the initial search and rescue work through the ongoing rebuilding of infrastructure in the affected areas.<\/p>\n

    GlobalGiving continues to stay involved and support the local rebuilding efforts. Here are some examples of the impacts this funding has made:<\/p>\n