7 Groups In Nepal That Could Use Your Donations After The Deadly Earthquake

After the tsunami in the Pacific in 2004, and the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, donors and aid organizations alike have taken away several lessons: send cash, not things; it's easy for the groups on the ground to be overwhelmed with the thousands, if not millions, of dollars in response; due diligence of just who you're donating to is vital.

But that doesn't change the fact that Nepal's government is straining to provide for the multitude of survivors. Lists have already begun circulating of places to donate to aid the victims, most of which focus on the big name international charities who are omnipresent in times of natural disaster — Oxfam, Doctors Without Borders, the United Nations, etc.

Beyond those groups, though, there are several Nepalese groups both in the country and working from overseas attempting to send the support that the survivors need.

Nepal's branch of the Red Cross, seen here following Nepal's deadly floods in 2007, is helping coordinate the response flowing in. Its website is up and down as connectivity in the country is spotty, but the American Red Cross also taking donations.

Set up by Sir Edmund Hillary after his legendary climb of Mt. Everest, the Himalayan Trust is devoted to developing the Solukhumbu region where the mountain is located. The group's New Zealand branch has set up a fundraiser to help rebuild the Sherpa communities surrounding Everest, far from the capital city of Kathmandu.

Aside from the immediate needs of the victims, the American Nepal Medical Foundation is supporting intermediate and long-term medical relief efforts in Nepal. The group is deploying a team of trauma surgeons to Nepal in the coming days and has partnered with the Computer Association of Nepal/USA to list the supplies that Nepalese hospitals and healthcare centers need.

The Shikshya Foundation, normally devoted to education promotion and building libraries in Nepal, has launched an emergency appeal following the earthquake for more general relief. Fashion designer and former Nepal resident Prabal Garung is lending his name to the fundraising efforts.

The international women's rights group is coordinating with the Women’s Rehabilitation Centre (WOREC) in Nepal to direct aid to women not only in Kathmandu, but in the more rural, harder to reach areas of the country.

Thousands of people on the streets of Kathmandu as aftershocks continue to hit the country, leaving people feeling unsafe in their homes. The need for tents is great and local "environmentally committed research, design and construction firm" Abari is attempting to step in to help fill that need.

The Nepalese government, headed by Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, is also accepting donations directly. The Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund has accounts at several banks in Nepal where you can deposit funds yourself.