On 26 August 2026, a catastrophic flood tore through communities in Nepal’s Himalayan region following a massive glacial collapse.

Within minutes, entire villages, roads, bridges, homes and hydropower facilities were swept away by an extraordinary wall of water, mud, rock and debris.

What began as a disaster in a remote mountain region quickly became an international humanitarian tragedy.

The scale of the tragedy

As of 2 September 2026, more than 1,100 people have been confirmed dead in Nepal, while nearly 4,000 people remain missing. Hundreds of those missing are foreign nationals from dozens of countries.

More than 93,000 people have been affected by the disaster, according to humanitarian organisations.

Search and rescue teams continue to work in extremely difficult conditions. Roads and bridges have been destroyed, communities remain cut off and rescue operations are complicated by unstable terrain, landslides and the continuing risk of further flooding.

But behind these numbers are thousands of families.

Families waiting for a phone call,
And searching photographs and missing-person lists.

Families thousands of kilometres away, desperately trying to find someone they love.

When disaster struck, Hope SA reached out.

As news of the disaster spread, HOPE SA began receiving messages from families searching for loved ones in Nepal.
HOPE SA stepped in to help where we could.

Among those still missing are six South Africans caught up in the Nepal floods.

Bavika Ramjee, 43, was three days into her Mount Kailash pilgrimage when disaster struck.

Also missing are Vivaganathan Pillay, 66, and his wife Janet, 56; Surendranath Maharaj, 74, and his wife Anita Devi, 67, all from Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal, and Terricia Govender, 33, a data analyst from Isipingo Beach, Durban.

Behind each name is a family waiting, hoping and praying for answers.

Our role was to connect families with credible information and the appropriate people and organisations.

We communicated with affected families, helped gather and share available information and reached out to official and humanitarian structures in Nepal.

This included liaison with the Nepalese Embassy, Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority and other emergency-response structures, as well as humanitarian organisations including the Nepal Red Cross.

Sometimes helping means finding the right contact.

Making the call, Sending the email.
Sharing verified information.

Connecting a desperate family with someone on the ground who may be able to help.

That is where HOPE SA found its role in the Nepal tragedy.

Hope knows no borders

This disaster has shown us once again how quickly life can change.

One moment, someone is travelling, working or on pilgrimage.

The next, they are missing.

And somewhere in another part of the world, a family is waiting.

HOPE SA remains committed to supporting families wherever possible, connecting them with credible information and helping them find their way through what can feel like an impossible situation.

Because behind every missing person’s name is someone who is loved.

We stand with you Nepal, in prayer and helping in whatever way we can.

Support HOPE SA Foundation

Help us continue bringing hope and support to those in need.

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Visit www.hopesa.org

Hope and Humanity knows no borders.