A 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal on 25th April, 2015. Nearly 9,000 people lost their lives and an estimated 800,000 homes were seriously damaged or destroyed.⠀
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Three years later, 85% of the people left homeless are still living in “temporary” shelters.⠀
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One of the most serious consequences of so many people living in cramped accommodation has been a marked increase in the number of burn victims.⠀
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Temporary shelters are, by definition, not intended for long-term living. Electrical wiring becomes loose, cooking arrangements are not robust, people make do with fewer safety precautions and numbers of accidents inevitably increase.⠀
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Staff at the local NGO, BVS-Nepal, are perhaps the only group keeping records. They note that in recent months, 70% of patients at the Kanti Children’s Hospital Burns Unit have “sustained accidents whilst still living in temporary shelters after the April 2015 earthquake”.⠀
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There are so many untold stories. ⠀
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The long-term effects of a natural disaster can linger long after the initial news cycle has finished. Although the earthquake shook Nepal over three years ago, there are still many victims living - and dying - in the aftermath.⠀
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Kanti Children’s Hospital. 3rd May, 2018⠀
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#Nepal #earthquake @unicef @unicefnepal @unmigration @refugees #Photojournalism #Photojournalist #Onassignment #DocumentaryPhotography #PhotoStory #EveryDayEverywhere #Humanitarian #HumanitarianPhotography #HumanitarianPhotographer #NGO #NGOPhotography #NGOPhotographer #SocialGood #Leica #LeicaCamera #Leica_photos #LeicaM #LeicaM10 (at Kathmandu, Nepal)