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KATHMANDU, Nepal — Just over three months after a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Nepal, the capitol city is nearly back to normal. But people living in the country's rural villages still need a lot of help, and that's where a Utah-based humanitarian organization is stepping in.
One Heart World-Wide is a humanitarian organization dedicated to helping mothers have safe births in Nepal. Volunteers are in the country working to construct medical tents so women who live in remote areas have a clean, dry place to give birth.
"Those tents were a godsend. They were amazing," said Dr. Sibylle Kristensen, the charity's Chief Operating Officer.
Unlike Kathmandu, where millions of people live and have many buildings to go to, those living in the rural areas where these tents are being set up came to rely on them. Women in those villages no longer have to give birth in the streets or outside on the ground, where unsanitary conditions are a problem.
"If you are delivering in a really dirty area you can get an infection. The mom can get an infection, the baby can get an infection; and there have been some deaths before we sent the tents," Kristensen said.
Ever since the tents have been set up, there hasn't been a single mother or child fatality due to unsafe conditions.
There are other Utah humanitarian groups working to help the people in Nepal. KSL-TV will be sharing their stories all week.
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Follow Alex Cabrero's journey through Nepal on his Facebook page.
