For families caught in the devastating floods in Nepal, the immediate question is painfully simple: where are our loved ones? The Singapore Red Cross is offering ways for families in Singapore to offer their support.
Since flash floods struck northern Nepal on 26 August, families have been searching for missing relatives while rescue teams work through damaged roads, collapsed bridges and areas that remain difficult to reach. Homes and livelihoods have been swept away, communities have been cut off, and thousands of families have been left facing an uncertain future.
The Singapore Red Cross says that more than 160 people had reportedly lost their lives and nearly 1,500 people were missing across Nepal and Tibet when it launched its fundraising appeal on 28 August. Those missing include local residents, workers, emergency personnel and tourists. The organisation warned that the situation was continuing to unfold, with critical infrastructure badly damaged and the possibility of further flooding.
Behind those numbers are families waiting for answers.
One of the stories to emerge from the disaster is that of eight-year-old Zoyal Ghale. When the floodwaters swept through his community in Rasuwa, Zoyal fled into a forest with a friend and climbed trees to survive. He was later airlifted to hospital with a broken leg and facial injuries. His mother, Matti Maya Tamang, had feared that both her sons had died. After days of uncertainty, she was eventually reunited with Zoyal – and subsequently learned that her other son had survived too.
It is a story of extraordinary survival, but also a reminder of what families across the affected region are going through: parents waiting for news, children separated from those they love, and communities trying to find a way forward after losing homes, possessions and livelihoods.
The scale of the destruction is difficult to comprehend.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has estimated that at least 93,000 people have been severely affected and are in urgent need of assistance. Homes, roads and bridges have been destroyed, making it particularly difficult for rescuers and aid workers to reach some communities.
For children, the disruption extends far beyond the immediate danger of the floodwaters. Schools, homes and familiar surroundings have been damaged or destroyed, while families face the uncertainty of finding missing relatives and rebuilding their lives.
The Nepal Red Cross Society has deployed teams to affected areas, with emergency teams and volunteers being mobilised to support the response. The humanitarian effort includes providing essential supplies and supporting search and rescue operations and emergency care. The Singapore Red Cross has pledged $50,000 in humanitarian aid towards the immediate response. This includes support for essential items such as drinking water, tarpaulins, blankets, sleeping mats and first aid kits.
How families in Singapore can help
For families in Singapore watching the devastation unfold, it can be difficult to know what meaningful help looks like. One practical option is to donate to an established humanitarian organisation supporting the response on the ground.
The Singapore Red Cross has launched a public fundraising appeal for communities affected by the Nepal floods. Donations are intended to support humanitarian assistance, including search and rescue operations, emergency medical care and assessments of the needs of affected communities.
Families can donate through the Singapore Red Cross Nepal Floods appeal on Give.Asia, where funds raised are managed by Give.Asia and paid directly to the Singapore Red Cross Society. The appeal is open from 28 August to 30 November 2026.
Donate to the Nepal Floods appeal via Give.Asia
The appeal is also eligible for a 100% tax deduction under Singapore’s Overseas Humanitarian Assistance Tax Deduction Scheme (OHAS), with receipts issued upon request.
A small act of solidarity
For our children growing up in Singapore, disasters such as this can sometimes feel impossibly far away. Nepal may be thousands of kilometres from home, but the families caught up in the floods are facing things that parents everywhere understand. The fear of not knowing where your child is, the relief of hearing that a loved one is safe, and the daunting task of keeping a family together when everything familiar has been swept away. For parents who want to help their children understand what is happening, this can be an opportunity to talk about compassion, community and what it means to help people experiencing an emergency.
No donation can undo what has happened to the families affected by the Nepal floods. But supporting the relief effort can help provide something very tangible in the days ahead: clean water, emergency supplies, medical assistance and support for communities beginning the long process of recovery.
And for families still waiting for news of someone they love, that humanitarian response could make all the difference.
The situation remains fluid, and casualty and missing-person figures may change as search and rescue operations continue. This article was updated on 30 August 2026 using information available from the Singapore Red Cross, Give.Asia and Reuters.
