Glacial Flood Disaster of Lende Khola 2026
For many of us in the RNV community the news during the last week of August 2026 will have raised so many concerns. Our close relationship with the people and communities of Nepal make this type of event feel very close to home.
Looking into this event on national news agencies, I have found that the BBCand The Guardian newspaper, have given the most clear picture, whilst also maintaining a sensitivity towards the victims of this disaster.
Please be aware that some photography is very graphic and other online sources can be less sensitive about what they publish.
Our friends in Nepal
Much of our news has come through personal messaging between our staff team and our counterparts in Nepal, we are all closely linked and mobile phones give fast updates in times of crisis. They are all safe and well. Unlike the2024 floodingthat hit Kathmandu, this disaster has impacted a region much further north and the subsequent emergency zones are not in the communities we work with.
Below are some of our close friends that we visit and work with each year, there are many more friends across Nepal and we await updates from them in the coming times.
Nepal Sanctuary Treks
News from Tulsi has indicated that his staff are well and our trusted head guide Mungal is safe. Nepal Sanctuary Treks operate across the Himalayas, so it is relieving to hear the team are OK. We will await further news but aim to continue our support by trekking with them in 2027
The Schools
Peace Garden School and Noble School are based in Kathmandu and therefore have not been directly impacted by recent events, they are, like all of Nepal, shocked by the situation and we will hear more from them in the coming weeks and months.
The Aanandit Charity Centre
Shusma has been very actively in touch with RNV Nepal, giving updates on some of the more remote project areas the charity work with. Whilst based in Kathmandu the ACC have wider outreach programmes, helping development in more remote areas. We are awaiting updates from Shusma and it is likely that RNV Nepal will send funds directly to the ACC, to assist with more immediate aid and longer term strategies, like microfinance loans.
The Leprosy Colony Community
Members of the community have been in touch to say that they are all fine, again this disaster has not reached the Kathmandu valley, keeping areas like the Leprosy Colony safe. For any of you who hadn't heard the news, Jyoti, a wonderful friend of RNV Nepal and past resident of the Leprosy Colony, moved to the UK 2 years ago and is working hard for the NHS, as a senior radiographer, so she is safe and well.
How can I help?
RNV Nepal is the charity founded by Birkdale linked community, with 10 of the trustees being either serving or retired Birkdale staff, it is quite a close relationship. There are some specific areas that RNV will be supporting, particularly with the Aanandit Charity Centre, who are able to reach more remote areas and are an organisation we have worked alongside for decades. In particular each year we contribute to microfinance loans and there is a definite sense that small scale start up loans will be needed in the forthcoming years. More information on both organisations can be found here: RNV Nepal Aanandit Charity Centre
For immediate aid, large scale international organisations are a way of giving to support rescue efforts, some links are shared here but this is not an exhaustive list:
Suggested by Nepal Sanctuary Treks, the Nepalese Government have set up a disaster relief fund:
Alternatively:
