4 Ways To Help The Nepal Red Cross

With the news flooded with images of the destruction in Nepal and stories of the nearly 5,000 dead and 9,000 injured in the earthquake Saturday, the next question naturally became: How can we help? Since the magnitude-7.8 earthquake devastated the Kathmandu Valley, volunteers for the Nepal Red Cross Society have been in action. A press release by the Red Cross on Monday revealed that, since the earthquake struck, more than 1,500 volunteers and 300 Red Cross staff members have been working tirelessly.

The Red Cross is calling for more help. According to a recent update from the Nepal Red Cross released on Thursday, the relief stocks are already almost entirely used up. While there were enough for 19,000 families, more than 40,000 homes in just one town alone were destroyed. Now, relief efforts are being focused toward more remote areas. Supplies are being gathered, emergency shelters erected, and health needs met. But even at this point, the extent of the earthquake’s destruction remains largely unknown.

The death count keeps climbing, and the number of injured continues to grow. And if you've been watching the news, your anxiousness to get involved and help in some way has likely been intensifying. Here’s how you can jump in and join the team of Red Cross volunteers already out there.

1. Donate

Admittedly, this might be the most straightforward and easy way to get involved, but it’s also effective. Donate some dollars to the Red Cross, where they can help put it in the right hands to provide the displaced with food, water, and shelter.

2. Fundraise

If you’re feeling pretty broke or want to make more of an impact than your own money alone, start a local fundraiser or rally family and friends to put dollars in the bucket. The Red Cross website offers guidance for ways that individuals and groups can fundraise.

3. Give blood

With so many injured and displaced in Nepal, many Nepal Red Cross health posts are seeing untreated wounds and an uptick in the flu and respiratory issues, according to a Red Cross press release. In disasters such as this one, blood donations are particularly important.

4. Take action

If you really feel a need to get out there and do something, contact your local chapter of the Red Cross. While flying over to Nepal isn’t all that practical, working locally can make a surprisingly global impact.

Or, if you’re looking to contribute more, or in a more specific way, there are also plenty of organizations aside from the Red Cross to consider.

UNICEF is rallying around the 1 million children in Nepal that they have determined need help. Mercy Corps is helping the Nepal Red Cross Society to distribute supplies. Doctors Without Borders is sending medical staff and supplies.

The ways to help are ample and, at this point in Nepal, the need for help is, too.

Images: Getty Images (4)