At the end of April, the Anglican Dean of Nepal wrote this letter to the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), apprising them of the dire situation facing the church in Nepal during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  The country is facing massive unemployment and overwhelmed medical facilities, overturning the lives of thousands of our brothers and sisters in Christ.  You can read his letter below, and find more information about how to support the local church in Nepal at the bottom of this page.

Blessings my dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

To date (April 30th) there are 57 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with zero fatalities within Nepal.  However, more than 150 Nepali workers are infected in the various countries they are working in.

The country is currently in a lockdown which has been extended three times; the country is scheduled to reopen on May 7th.

Medical facilities across the country are overwhelmed while testing remains limited.

The population that is most affected by the lockdown is day-wage laborers.  Almost 90% of the workers in the cities are day-wage workers and are dependent on their daily income for food and basic necessities.  Some have had to resort to walking several hundred kilometers back to their homes in the rural villages.

More than 3,000 of our Anglican Church members in Kathmandu and the surrounding villages are severely affected by the lockdown.  These members have either lost their income or livelihood.  They could no longer afford to buy food and basic necessities.  Many are now starving.  Our plans to provide relief were halted after the extension of the lockdown.  The closure of the airport and financial facilities have further dashed our hopes of extending help to the people.

Nevertheless, the spirits of our members in the Anglican churches remain high.  Our clergy and pastors continue to extend their support and encouragement through phone calls and provide live-stream services from home whenever possible.  Despite the hardship, their eyes are on Christ and they are sustained by earnest prayers.  Since January, our 97 churches have gathered on their knees forming a 24-hour prayer chain to pray for God’s will to be done through this pandemic.  Rev. Prem Tamang related in an update, “This chaos will bring spiritual revival to Nepal.”  What amazing faith!

Please pray for God’s Grace on those who are suffering and for relief to reach the people soon.  Pray for our churches to be a LIGHT OF CHRIST to the nation in the midst of this extremely dark time.

Thank you!  The Anglican Church in Nepal stands with all our American friends in the ACNA through prayers!

In the Love of Christ,
Dean of Nepal

If you would like to help support the local church in Nepal with your resources, the Anglican Relief and Development Fund has set up a Coronavirus Relief Fund expressly for that purpose.  Here is how to make sure your gift is earmarked for Nepal:

• If you are mailing a check, please write “Nepal” on the memo line.
• If you are donating online, please also email Bill Haley letting him know your donation is for Nepal.