Nepal COVID-19 Emergency Response

World Vision works in close coordination and collaboration with the government and its interventions contribute to the government’s plans and policies. Coordination and adhering to government policies are more important in a crisis than in normal situation, and these help build trust with the government. Thus, World Vision International Nepal prepared a strategy to work in COVID –19 response aligning with government policies. The major steps taken to work with the government in Nepal COVID-19 Emergency Project are as below:

This assessment is accompanied by collecting responses of children, parents and local government representatives/officials from selected districts across Nepal. For the purpose, separate questionnaires were developed for all these stakeholders. 

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the greatest shocks to global stability since World War II. Before the pandemic, more than half of all children worldwide lived in daily exposure to different forms of violence. The measures to contain and respond to the pandemic have further increased the risks of physical, sexual and emotional violence against girls, boys and children with different gender identities.

We are facing a global health and economic crisis unlike any, since the second world war — one that is killing people, spreading human suffering, and turning people’s lives upside down. But this is much more than a health crisis. It is a humanitarian crisis, and Asia’s children, especially the most vulnerable, are on the brink of severe hunger, increased disease, and physical and emotional safety risks. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is bringing societies to their knees, crippling their core.

The Post Distribution Monitoring Report covers three major distribution made by World Vision International Nepal in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the first 30 days of emergency response. Food items, non-food items including hygiene kits and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) with an infrared thermometer. 

Implemented across 13 working districts through local partners, the Response and Early Recovery Phase aims to reach over 180,000 vulnerable children, over 209,000 adults, nearly 62,000 households and 1.5 million indirect beneficiaries including children through its strategic interventions on Health, WASH, Livelihood and Nutrition, Protection, and Education. 

This policy brief aims to complement the work being done by Government ministries, donors, UN agencies, INGOs and other research organisations on the socio-economic impact of COVID-19. It is based on desk study review of relevant research papers and reports and World Vision International’s experience in BBB, both in Nepal and other countries, in particular in the Asia Pacific region.

World Vision completed phase I (30-day plan) of its Covid-19 response and moved into phase II on 27 April 2020. Focusing on supporting the Government of Nepal (GoN) to scale up preventive measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, World Vision supplied much-needed medical and hygiene kits including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and IR Thermometers to the public health institutions and administrations. 

The assessment findings show that the vulnerable people residing in the surveyed districts are encountering significant secondary impacts of COVID-19, evidenced by 89% HHs experienced over 2/3 drop of their monthly average income (77% less) from NPR 14,455/month USD 119) before to NPR 3,324 (USD 27). Hence, 85% of the HHs acknowledge they will not have sufficient food in the next few months.

The Government of Nepal (GoN) gears up its efforts to prevent spreading of Covid-19 in the country as the number of cases increase gradually. Being one of its partners, World Vision International Nepal (WVIN) has developed a comprehensive response plan to backstop the government’s efforts to contain outbreak in the country. Keeping children at the core, the strategic response will be implemented across 14 working districts of WVIN initially with room for expansion to other districts/areas depending on the need.

A child together with his father and a sibling checks hygiene kits received before leaving the distribution site.

WVI Nepal staff uploads the PPE and Hygiene Kits to be handed over to the Ministry of Health and Population on April 22, 2020.  

A PNGO staff supports a beneficiary sanitise her hands before receiving hygiene kits for her children.

Holding her feature phone with a unique code sent through digital asset transfer platform SIKKA, a recipient waits for her turn to verify the code and receive food support in Kathmandu. 

A PNGO staff verifies name of a beneficiary for the food support in Kathmandu adopting SIKKA (a digital assets transfer platform that uses SMS and Blockchain to redeem tokens with commodities and remotely track progress in real time).

Brick industry workers wait for their turn to receive food and hygiene kits support.

WVI Nepal staff facilitates food and hygiene kits distribution at a brick factory in Kathmandu on June 8, 2020.

National Director Janes Ginting hands over 1,000 PPE and 120 Infrared (IR) thermometers to the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) on April 22, 2020.

WVI Nepal staff packs Personal Protective Equipment sets at the national office before the kits were dispatched for handover in the working districts.

WVI Nepal staff engages in packing of Hygiene Kits at the national office to be sent along with the Personal Protective Equipment and Infrared (IR) thermometers in the working districts.  

WVI Nepal staff facilitate dispatching of 256,816 sanitary napkins to ten working districts. These sanitary pads were donated by Procter & Gamble (P&G) through World Vision Singapore.