DISASTER RECOVERY

Restoring the vital community fabric of Nepal 

A year after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal in April of 2015—an unprecedented disaster for the small Himalayan nation—World Monuments Fund is launching a new initiative to support heritage sites in crisis.

Our initial focus is the 16th century Char Narayan Temple—the oldest in Patan’s Durbar Square—which was reduced to rubble by the 2015 earthquake. Working with Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT), our longstanding partner in the region, we are helping to rebuild Char Narayan thanks to a generous grant from American Express.

Recovery is a long process, and we included the Cultural Heritage Sites of Nepal on the 2016 World Monuments Watch to highlight the need for sustained international attention as the country still faces a daunting set of challenges. More than remnants of previous cultures, Nepal’s architectural landmarks are vital centers of daily religious, cultural, and social activities.  Their restoration is critical for communities across Nepal as they struggle to recover.

Five decades of disaster recovery

Disaster recovery is not new to World Monuments Fund. Thanks to our supporters, we have helped communities recover from disaster throughout our 50 year history, from the 1966 Venice floods to recent earthquakes in Haiti and Japan.

Humanitarian needs come first.  Yet it is evident that thoughtfully restored cultural heritage sites can be a powerful force that galvanizes communities during the years and decades it takes to rebuild. 

Today, we are actively engaged at several sites around the world that have been affected by natural disaster or conflict.  We were among the first international organizations to be invited into Cambodia in 1989, following the Khmer Rouge genocide, and we have been working at Angkor Archeological Park ever since. 

Since 2008, we have been conserving the fragile archaeological remains of Babylon, Iraq, helping our partner, the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, make the site ready for visitors to once again enjoy the wonders of this site. 

Your gift will support all of these critical recovery efforts. You will be playing a direct role in restoring and rebuilding the vital cultural heritage that communities need and treasure—from Nepal’s Char Narayan Temple to sites in crisis across the globe. Join us and make a real difference when it matters most.