Newsletter Aug 2026 Catastrophic tidal wave in Nepal

 Beste friends

As we have all heard in the news, northern Nepal was struck by a devastating tidal wave last Wednesday, August 26. An enormous mass of water, mud, ice, and boulders came down from the border region with Tibet and raged through the river basins of the Bhote Koshi and the Trishuli.
Villages, hotels, roads, bridges, farmlands, and hydroelectric power plants were destroyed. Buses and other vehicles were swept away by the churning water. The consequences are now visible far downstream. Even in Chitwan, in southern Nepal, victims have been recovered.
Hundreds of people have died and many are still missing. Behind these numbers are families and entire communities living in great uncertainty.

Many friends and Rotary clubs have asked whether this also has consequences for the community where we carry out our projects together.
Although the disaster occurred 120 km as the crow flies from Sailung, it also affects the people and organizations with whom we have been working closely for years.

Fifteen people from Sailung missing

Fifteen people from the Sailung community are missing who were working in the affected border area.
One of them is a good friend of Krishna, director of the Shailung Hill Ton Basic School.

He worked as a bus driver and was traveling with 35 tourists from India when the tidal wave struck the area. Since then, there has been no news of him or his passengers.
For their families, friends, and fellow villagers, these are days of fear, grief, and uncertainty.

Large group from Sindhupalchowk unreachable

Our Nepalese project partner ISARD is also deeply affected by the disaster. According to initial reports from ISARD, approximately 300* people from the communities with which the organization works are still unreachable (*Due to destroyed infrastructure and poor communication, numbers may still change). .
It is currently unclear how many of them were directly affected by the tidal wave. Due to the destroyed infrastructure and downed communications, it is particularly difficult to obtain reliable information.
Many residents of Sindhupalchowk have moved to the border area near Rasuwa for work in recent years. After the trade route and border crossing at Kodari and Tatopani were severely damaged by previous earthquakes, floods, and landslides, a significant part of the economic activity shifted to Rasuwagadhi.
People from Sindhupalchowk found work there in hotels and restaurants, as drivers or guides, and in the construction of roads and hydroelectric power plants. It was precisely this area that was now hit by the tidal wave.

Our long-standing collaboration with ISARD

The Integrated Self-help Association for Rural Development (ISARD) is a Nepalese non-profit organization. For thirty years, ISARD has been working from Barhabise in Sindhupalchowk on the development of vulnerable rural communities.
The organization focuses primarily on improving agriculture. Farmers receive not only seeds, materials, and tools, but also practical training, technical guidance, support with market access, and assistance with the construction of necessary infrastructure.
ISARD is the local implementation partner of the SATSh agricultural project of the Ton Memorial School Sailung Foundation. Within this project, approximately 168 farming families are guided in improving and making their agriculture more sustainable.
In addition, ISARD is closely involved with the Rotary project Trees for Nepal. Through this project, among other things, 10,000 fruit and nut trees are being planted, farmers are being trained in agroforestry, and a local tree nursery and model farm are being developed.
Through this long-standing and intensive collaboration, we know the people behind ISARD personally. The reports about the many missing persons from their communities therefore affect us particularly deeply.

Emergency relief is organized locally

Our partner Rotary Club Kathmandu Mid-Town immediately started organizing an emergency relief project for the affected area.
In the meantime, ISARD is working with local youth organizations and a large group of volunteers. This week and next, they are attempting to reach the affected communities and deliver urgently needed relief supplies.
The assistance focuses on, among other things:
• clothing and rainwear;
• sleeping bags and materials for temporary shelter;
• medicines and medical devices;
• food and safe drinking water;
• generators, emergency lighting and power supply;
• other necessary basic necessities.
The situation in the disaster area is particularly complex. Many roads and bridges have disappeared, and some places are only accessible on foot or by helicopter. Local knowledge, reliable contacts, and good cooperation between organizations are therefore of great value.

We ask for your help

Ton Memorial School Foundation Sailung and Rotary Club Sassenheim jointly launch a fundraising campaign for the victims of this disaster.
With your contribution, we support the emergency relief organized by Rotary Club Kathmandu Mid-Town, ISARD, and local volunteers. Through these trusted Nepalese partners, the aid can reach affected people and communities as directly as possible.
Every contribution, large or small, helps with the purchase and transport of urgently needed relief supplies.