Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar Charity (QC) implemented a heatwave resilience project in Nepal’s Banke, Bardiya and Kailali districts, benefiting more than 9,000 individuals from rural communities.
The project, implemented with financial support from UK Aid and through START Fund Nepal, included distributing essential items to students to cope with heat waves, installing water coolers with UV filtration systems and ceiling fans in schools, providing food vouchers to daily wage workers, and supplying water coolers with UV filtration systems to local bodies offices.
Qatar Charity, through this project, aims to mitigate the impact of heatwaves on rural communities and enhance their resilience by organising public awareness campaigns and addressing the needs of vulnerable populations.
This project was implemented because the western Terai region of Nepal faced an unprecedented challenge with a severe heatwave this summer, causing temperatures to soar above 43 degrees Celsius.
Under the project, essential items such as Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS), glucose, water bottles and umbrellas were distributed to 6,000 students.
Additionally, 350 ceiling fans were provided to schools, water coolers with UV filtration systems were installed in schools and public institutions, and water ATMs were set up in the public places of Nepalgunj.
The project also included distributing free clean drinking water to 6,272 people, including street vendors, local pedestrians, cart pullers and daily wage workers.
Moreover, essential items such as mosquito nets and umbrellas were distributed to 753 needy households, including daily wage workers, along with food vouchers to meet the food and nutritional requirements as the extreme heat had limited their income opportunities.
Qatar Charity also organised awareness sessions for communities about heat waves and the necessary preventive measures for self-protection and preparedness by disseminating IEC materials.