Following the devastating flash floods on August 26 in the Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts of Nepal, the region faces immense challenges: More than 1,300 people lost their lives in the disaster, and over 5,000 remain missing. Entire neighborhoods were wiped out within minutes.
Behind the visible destruction lies a second, often invisible crisis with dramatic consequences. Together with local organizations, survivors are still searching for missing family members and neighbors. Notably, many of the first responders on the ground survived the flood themselves.
While search and rescue operations continue around the clock, responders have neither the time to process their own grief and losses nor always the necessary specialized knowledge to support a deeply traumatized population.
Ábel K., Programme & Development Officer at OlamAid e. V., describes the situation on the ground:
“The need for psychological support, especially Psychological First Aid for people in shock, is immense. That is precisely why our emergency response team is training local teams to deliver Psychological First Aid and pass this knowledge on to other helpers as multipliers.”
In close collaboration with local partner organizations, OlamAid specialists have already conducted two comprehensive training sessions on Psychological First Aid (PFA) and self-care for first responders. Additional sessions are scheduled for the coming weeks.
The workshops equip relief workers with tools to:
A dedicated train-the-trainer module ensures that this knowledge spreads sustainably, reaches significantly more people, and maximizes its long-term impact.
This vital response is made possible through our partnership with the Zentralwohlfahrtsstelle der Juden (ZWST) and Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH). Their support allows us to take immediate action in the critical first days of a disaster, exactly when timing matters most.
