Nepal Flash Floods: Children Need Help Urgently
Highlights
- Massive flash floods tore through Nepal on Aug. 26, 2026, sweeping away whole villages and damaging infrastructure
- Children who survived the floods now face heightened risk of disease, malnutrition, violence and exploitation
- UNICEF is working with partners to deliver urgently needed supplies and restore basic services for children and their families
- To sustain its emergency response in Nepal and support early recovery, UNICEF is appealing for $17.2 million
More than 17,000 children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance following catastrophic flash floods in Nepal. UNICEF is working with partners to deliver emergency relief and support early recovery.
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Updated Aug. 31, 2026
Families face devastating loss, displacement and uncertainty
UNICEF is supporting emergency response efforts after massive flooding tore through Nepal on Aug. 26, 2026, sweeping away entire communities and causing widespread damage to roads, bridges, hydropower projects, water systems and telecommunications networks.
The floods have affected an estimated 65,000 people, including 22,100 children, across Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Tanahun districts. As the desperate search for survivors continues, over 900 people have been reported dead and more than 4,240 remain missing. The death toll continues to rise.
The risk of further flooding remains; authorities have warned residents living near the banks of affected river corridors to move to higher ground.
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Children who survived the Nepal floods now face heightened risk of disease, malnutrition, violence and exploitation
UNICEF is working with the Government of Nepal and humanitarian partners to support displaced communities through emergency assistance and early recovery efforts. This includes helping restore access to basic services and providing critical supplies to affected households. Access constraints and infrastructure damage continue to challenge the response.
“Children across Rasuwa and Dhading saw their lives being literally washed away in front of their eyes in a very short span of time, with homes, classrooms and medical facilities damaged. Too many lost their lives and loved ones,” said Alice Akunga, UNICEF Representative to Nepal. “With the death toll still rising, we know this tragedy is far from over. Children who have survived the floods now face heightened risks of disease, malnutrition, violence and exploitation. UNICEF is on the ground and scaling up support, but we urgently need more resources to reach every child in need.”
Children across Rasuwa and Dhading saw their lives being literally washed away in front of their eyes in a very short span of time ... With the death toll rising, we know this tragedy is far from over. — Alice Akunga, UNICEF Representative to Nepal
At least six health facilities have sustained damage, preventing children and families from accessing health care just when they need it most. UNICEF is supporting the delivery of essential health services in flood-affected areas — deploying emergency medical supplies, supporting health facilities and preparing mental health and psychosocial support services for affected children and their families.
Nineteen schools have been damaged or destroyed, depriving children of safe spaces to learn, play and recover. Dozens of schools located close to riverbanks in the affected areas remain at risk. An estimated 10,000 school-age children now require urgent support to continue their education, including access to temporary learning centers and replacement learning materials.
Learn more about UNICEF flood relief
Critical supplies dispatched, support teams mobilized
Critical UNICEF supplies for about 19,000 people have been provided to Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts. These include emergency hygiene kits, buckets, soap, disinfectant, collapsible jerrycans, water purification products and risk communication materials. In the coming days, additional supplies will be distributed to the hardest-hit communities, including medical tents, bed nets and newborn kits, and ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) for children with acute malnutrition.
Meanwhile, mental health and psychosocial support teams have been mobilized, and UNICEF is working to identify, register and reunite children missing or separated from their families. UNICEF is also working with the Government of Nepal to deliver emergency cash assistance to affected households to help families meet urgent basic needs and avoid resorting to harmful coping strategies.
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Over 500 million children live in flood zones worldwide
When severe flooding puts children and their families at risk, UNICEF works with partners to meet children's immediate needs. UNICEF's supply and logistics operation, based in Copenhagen, can deliver emergency supplies anywhere in the world within 72 hours.
Emergency response prioritizes the immediate well-being, safety and recovery of children and their families, while supporting longer-term efforts to rebuild essential community services and strengthen resilience to future disasters.
As a global leader in emergency humanitarian relief, UNICEF responded to 414 emergencies in 101 countries and territories in 2025 alone, working alongside partners across all sectors to protect children and adolescents from harm and safeguard their rights.
Related: What Does Natural Disaster Relief Look Like?
More support is needed for UNICEF's emergency response to flooding in Nepal
UNICEF has been working in Nepal since 1964, advocating for children's rights and helping to strengthen the systems and services they rely on. Recent UNICEF impact for children in Nepal includes delivery of ready-to-use therapeutic food for the treatment of malnourished children in Karnali province, and the establishment of a breast milk bank for newborns in Kathmandu.
UNICEF is appealing for $17.2 million to sustain its emergency response in Nepal and support early recovery until the full extent of needs are assessed. Without urgent and flexible funding, UNICEF's ability to deliver essential health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), education, child protection and social protection services to children — including children with disabilities — and women will be severely constrained.
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HOW TO HELP
There are many ways to make a difference
War, famine, poverty, natural disasters — threats to the world's children keep coming. But UNICEF won't stop working to keep children healthy and safe.
UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories — more places than any other children's organization. UNICEF has the world's largest humanitarian warehouse and, when disaster strikes, can get supplies almost anywhere within 72 hours. Constantly innovating, always advocating for a better world for children, UNICEF works to ensure that every child can grow up healthy, educated, protected and respected.
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