Nepal flash floods: children need your help
Devastating flash flood have swept through northern Nepal, destroying homes, schools and separating children from their families. The raging flood waters came without warning at a time when children were on their way to school or starting classes.
Save the Children is on the ground responding now. Oure teams are distributing essential supplies, including baby kits and hygiene kits, providing clean drinking water to affected families and working with local authorities to help reunite separated children with their parents.
In just the past 24–48 hours, Save the Children, with the support of local authorities, has helped reunite more than 69 children with their parents or legal guardians.
But children and families still urgently need shelter, clean water, healthcare, protection and other lifesaving support
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How Save the Children is responding to the Nepal flash floods
Save the Children is on the ground providing essential, lifesaving assistance to 1,000 families, including tarpaulins, baby kits, mosquito nets, dignity and hygiene kits, blankets, kitchen utensils, and water and sanitation supplies. Children and families urgently need food, clean water, shelter and protection, and our teams are seeing widespread devastation, with needs expected to grow.
The situation on the ground remains extremely challenging. Flooded and blocked roads are slowing rescue and relief efforts, while many affected areas remain without electricity, internet or mobile connectivity, making it difficult to reach communities and fully understand the scale of the crisis.
Protecting children is one of our most urgent priorities. Some children have told our teams they were separated from their parents during rescue operations and taken to different temporary holding centres. Overcrowded and inadequate centres, as well as children being repeatedly moved between locations, can expose already distressed children to further protection risks.
Save the Children is working with local authorities to help reunite separated children with their families and ensure they are safe and protected. In the past 24–48 hours, we have helped reunite more than 69 children with their parents or legal guardians.
We are coordinating closely with the Disaster Management Committee (DMC) and other responders. As the scale of the needs becomes clearer, we are preparing to expand our response to reach and protect more children and families.
Save the Children staff pack emergency supplies for flood-affected communities in Nepal. Sarthak Thapa/Save the Children
CHILDREN AMONG THE MOST VULNERABLE – WE NEED TO ACT NOW
Save the Children’s Children’s Emergency Fund allows us to respond rapidly when disasters strike.
Having emergency funding available means our teams can start helping children without waiting for funds to be raised for every individual crisis – providing lifesaving support wherever the need is greatest.
Your donation can help us respond to the floods in Nepal and be ready to protect children when the next emergency strikes.
Children can't wait. Please donate today and help us be there for children when they need us most.
Nepal floods: what you need to know
What's happened?
On 26 August 2026, a catastrophic flash flood swept through Timure, Rasuwagadhi and Syabrubesi in Rasuwa in northern Nepal, destroying homes and lives. Markets, roads, bridges, hydropower facilities and other critical infrastructure have been swept away by the raging flood waters.
The sudden surge in the Bhote Koshi/Lhende river system swept through communities in Rasuwa before entering the Trishuli River. The fast-moving flood then moved downstream, potentially impacting communities in Nuwakot, Dhading, and Gorkha. The full extent of the damage will take time to become clear given the scale of the devastation.
Reports that we are receiving from the grounds are stating that the disaster has resulted in at least 900 confirmed deaths in Nepal, with over 4,000 people, including children, still missing and the death toll expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue.
The disaster has affected not only local communities but also tourists, pilgrims, traders, transport workers, hydropower workers, and people working for the military and government. More than 500 travellers were reported missing, including a large number of foreign tourists.
Rescue operations have been severely constrained by destroyed roads and bridges, high river levels, damaged communications, and difficult mountain terrain. Helicopter operations have also been challenging in the worst-affected areas.
How have children been impacted by the floods in nepal?
Children are among the most vulnerable following natural disasters.
Our first response team is on the ground and we know that the immediate priorities include shelter, food, clean water, hygiene and sanitation, emergency health care, protection, family tracing and reunification, psychosocial support, and access to education.
Access to safe drinking water has been severely disrupted in some affected areas. This raises concerns about the risk of waterborne diseases, particularly as communities are already facing significant disruption.
Ensuring access to clean water, water purification supplies and essential sanitation is an immediate priority to help prevent disease outbreaks and protect children and families.
The destruction of roads, bridges, and communications is also likely to make it difficult to reach isolated communities and could significantly delay the delivery of assistance. Many areas are still only accessible by helicopter.
Children are being separated from caregivers, families who have lost homes and livelihoods, and communities hosting displaced people will require particular attention.
What is Save the Children's capacity to respond?
Save the Children has six warehouses across Nepal with pre-positioned life-saving non-food items, with capacity to support up to 10,000 families during a mega-disaster. This pre-positioned capacity enables us to mobilise and dispatch essential assistance within 24 hours following major disasters and shocks, helping us reach children and families quickly when they need support most.
On 26 August 2026, a massive flash flood swept through communities along the Bhotekoshi–Trishuli river corridor in Nepal, with hundreds of people reportedly missing and thousands impacted. The districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan have been impacted. The full extent of casualties and damage is still being assessed; however, more than 10,000 households are reportedly affected. Save the Children in Nepal dispatched emergency relief items for 1,000 families, and distributions began on the second day in Nuwakot district, one of the areas affected by the flash floods. Assistance includes tarpaulins, baby packs, mosquito nets, dignity and hygiene kits, blankets, kitchen utensils, sanitation and hygiene supplies, and other critical life-saving items. Further assessment and response activities are ongoing in coordination with government and local partners. Dil Kamal Chettri/ Save the Children
