PRESS RELEASE: KPC Buddhist Relief Launches "Share the Love" to Support Nepal Flood Survivors, for the Long Road Ahead
Poolesville, MD, October 1, 2026
On August 26, 2026, a massive collapse of glacier ice and rock on Langtang Lirung, near the Nepal–China border, set off one of the deadliest Himalayan floods on record. The debris briefly dammed a river.
When the dam broke, a flood tore down the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli valleys, through Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts. As of September 30, Nepal had reported more than 1,450 deaths and more than 4,718 people still missing. About 1.6 million people have been affected.
This disaster didn't come from a storm, and it will not pass like one. It came from a mountain made less stable by a warming climate, the kind of disaster that warming makes more likely.
The same river system flooded in July 2025. Nepal's army is now remapping the affected area, and survivors will not be resettled near the river. For many, this means permanent displacement and the loss of ancestral land.
KPC Buddhist Relief is responding with Share the Love, a campaign inviting our community and interfaith partners to support Nepal's flood-affected families now and in the years ahead.
What we will do
Fund relief teams that are already there. We are expanding our partnership with United Sikhs, a UN-affiliated humanitarian organization we worked with in Ukrainian refugee relief. Their teams arrived in Nepal in the first week, running a 10-day community kitchen that served 2,000 meals daily in Nuwakot, assisting Nepal's army with area clearing, and distributing essential supplies. To build long-term resilience, United Sikhs is also introducing Project Braveheart, a train-the-trainer initiative equipping local responders and medical staff with emergency first-aid and trauma care skills.
Keep families warm this winter. Families are sheltering in monasteries and temporary camps as the Himalayan winter approaches. Share the Love will fund United Sikhs' urgent winter supplies: jackets, blankets, heaters, mattresses, thermos flasks, and hygiene kits.
Buy locally. At the Nepali government's request, supplies are bought in Nepal. This supports the local economy and stretches every dollar further.
Support Buddhist partners reaching remote communities. We are developing a partnership with Shenpen Nepal, founded in 2004 by Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche at Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Monastery in Kathmandu. Having delivered initial emergency food, tents, and clothing to over 300 flood survivors at Shree Bhairum Higher Secondary School in Trishuli Bazaar, Shenpen’s field teams are continuing to provide food, medical supplies, and long-term shelter assistance to displaced families across affected districts.
Mobilize interfaith and diaspora support. Building on momentum from a September 19 gathering co-hosted with the Nepal Education and Cultural Center in Germantown, Share the Love unites regional faith communities and relief organizations. The event drew nearly 300 attendees from across the Mid-Atlantic in solidarity with flood survivors, launching the renewed partnership between KPC Buddhist Relief and United Sikhs.
Stay through long-term rebuilding. As families move from temporary camps to designated resettlement sites, we are pledging ongoing support beyond immediate emergency aid. Through Share the Love, KPC Buddhist Relief is committing to a multi-year recovery effort—funding roofing materials, medical care, and mental health counseling as communities rebuild their lives.
Why we are staying
Emergency aid treats the immediate wound, but climate-driven displacement requires sustained, multi-year recovery. Families who have lost their land cannot rebuild overnight.
"How can we not respond to this? We must help Nepal, and we must help now," said Jetsunma Ahkön Lhamo, Founder and CEO of KPC Buddhist Relief.
Guided by our institutional commitment to relieve suffering wherever it occurs, KPC Buddhist Relief is staying through every phase of relocation and rebuilding to ensure Nepal's flood survivors are not forgotten.
How to help
To learn more about our ground partners' work, visit Shenpen Nepal at shenpennepal.org/programs/disaster-relief and United Sikhs at unitedsikhs.org/category/sikh-aid. To volunteer or involve your congregation or community group in Share the Love, contact KPC Buddhist Relief at helpthem@kpcbuddhistrelief.org or call (301) 710-6259, ext. 2 to leave a message.
About KPC Buddhist Relief: KPC Buddhist Relief works to relieve suffering through humanitarian aid, food security, compassion for animals, and healing the earth. Its partners across Maryland and Washington, D.C. include WUMCO Help, Shepherd's Table, The Upcounty Hub, and First Baptist Church of Silver Spring.
