Last Saturday, a devastating earthquake shook Nepal, leveling buildings, destroying temples and triggering an avalanche on Mount Everest. The death toll from the devastating 7.8-magnitude quake has surpassed 5,000 and many fear the final number could reach 10,000.

When we first heard about this horrific natural disaster, a flurry of emails began as we tried to contact our partner, Friends Handicraft (FH), in Kathmandu. We checked with everyone on our team, with colleagues who also work with the group and with entities on the ground in Nepal who are familiar with FH. Our hearts sank as a days passed with no word. Thankfully, we are happy to report that we have finally made contact with the founders of FH. They are safe, but many of the women have suffered great loss. 

We would like to thank everyone who has reached out to us worried about the women of Friends Handicraft. Many of you have asked how to help, so we've put together a list of vetted agencies that are providing effective relief in Nepal:

International Medical Corps  - immediate relief and medical services

Tewa, Women's Fund in Nepal - give directly to a women's fund that is supporting women's groups throughout the affected areas. Tewa is an indigenous grassroots grantmaker working for social justice and peace. For 20 years it has supported grassroots women's groups all over Nepal

Global Fund for Women: support women's rights organizations directly, 100% of donation will go to supporting women's groups

American Jewish World Service