A Chinese NGO China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) launched “Emergency Community Oxygen Station” program in Nepal on Sunday. 

The support program has been launched at ward no. 17 of Kathmandu Metropolitan City to help the local community fight with COVID-19 pandemic.

 On the occasion, CFPA handed over 20 oxygen cylinders (40L capacity each) along with the other essential health supplies to the local representative.

Besides oxygen cylinders, it handed over 200 personal protective equipment (PPEs), 100 face shields, 1000 pcs of masks and 2 sanitation machine for community disinfection. In addition, it also donated 5 oxygen cylinders (40L each) and some medical material support to another ward 19.

CFPA, a humanitarian organization in china, has been conducting its philanthropic activities in Nepal since 2015.

The Chinese organization selected the area which comprises the famous tourist destination inside the Kathmandu valley known as Thamel. It is also the densely populated region with more than 80,000 population including thousands of Chinese business men with the hotel and restaurants business.

Zou Zhiqiang, CFPA Nepal country director remarked, “This program had been carried out as a prompt response to the second wave of Covid-19 in Nepal. With the second wave of COVID-19 cases surging rapidly across Nepal, the doctors working in the front-line have reported that they have failed to save several lives due to the lack of basic healthcare facilities: oxygen cylinder, biomedical equipment, medicines. In coordination with the local government, CFPA is planning to support more than 10 communities with the medical equipments in Nepal."

She further said that CFPA has selected the heavy affected areas such as Dhakshinkali and Pharphing municipalities in Kathmandu valley in Bagmati province and Sarlahi and Dhanusha districts in province 2.

Nabin Manandhar, Ward 17 Chairman, expressed his gratitude to the Chinese people and CFPA for their prompt support at a crucial time. "We are thankful to CFPA Nepal office which has always stood with Nepal at challenging times, from earthquake and flood to this pandemic," Manandhar remarked.

According to CFPA, its main focus is on building the oxygen station for the civilians who desperately need the oxygen.

Following the first phase, other programs -- Sanitize (Disinfection for communities), food pack distribution (with safety rules), schoolbag distribution (with sanitation materials) -- will also be carried out afterward throughout the country, it informed.

In 2020, when Nepal was dealing with the first wave of the pandemic, CFPA Nepal Office had carried out several programs to help the low-income people of the country. 

It had conducted its food package distribution program in province no. 2, Bagmati province and other areas of the country, particularly daily wage workers and families who were gravely affected by the imposition of a nation-wide lockdown.

CFPA is the first active Chinese INGO operating in Nepal for six years. It has general agreement with Social Welfare Council Nepal to channelize aid funds to assist in the reconstruction of infrastructures damaged by the earthquake of April 2015.

Till date, CFPA Nepal office has helped more than 400,000 people.