Disaster Beyond Floodwaters: Nepal’s Women Confront Loss, Hunger and Insecurity

According to UN Women, an estimated 157,050 women and girls living in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts have been directly or indirectly affected by the disaster.

Nepal is confronting a devastating humanitarian emergency after powerful flash floods swept through communities on 26 August 2026, leaving hundreds of people dead, families searching for missing relatives and thousands without homes, while women and girls across some of the hardest-hit districts face growing threats to their safety, health, livelihoods and access to necessities.

According to UN Women, an estimated 157,050 women and girls living in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts have been directly or indirectly affected by the disaster. More than 500 people have been killed, and nearly 1,000 remain unaccounted for, while around 10,000 homes have been washed away and critical infrastructure has suffered extensive destruction. Search and rescue operations are continuing, meaning the true human and economic toll may not yet be known.

Food, Water and Safety Become Urgent Concerns for Women and Girls

For survivors, escaping the floodwaters is only the beginning of another difficult period, as communities now struggle with shortages of food and clean water, damaged health services, disrupted protection systems and heightened risks of violence, trafficking, exploitation and abuse. Women and girls often carry a particularly heavy burden during disasters because responsibilities for caring for children, older relatives and other family members can increase just as essential services become harder to reach.

UN Women Representative to Nepal Patricia Fernandez-Pacheco warned that risks already faced by women and girls can rise sharply when disasters destroy homes, livelihoods and community support systems. Scarcity can leave women with less access to food and medicine, while displacement and weakened protection services can expose them to greater risks of exploitation and violence.

Daily survival itself can become more demanding. Women may have to travel farther to collect water or secure food, spend additional hours providing unpaid care and cope with the loss of income and property, creating conditions that can push already vulnerable households deeper into poverty.

Illiteracy, Documentation and Poverty Can Put Relief Further Out of Reach

Accessing emergency assistance is not always straightforward, especially when relief systems depend on written information, registration forms, identification documents or proof of property ownership. Across Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan districts, approximately one in three women is illiterate, according to UN Women, creating another barrier for those trying to understand relief information, register for support or independently claim assistance.

Household finances are another concern. Around one in three households across Bagmati Province is headed by a woman, and roughly one third of those households depend on remittances that were already under strain before the floods. Losing a home, livestock, farmland, employment or access to local markets can quickly turn an emergency into a prolonged financial crisis for families with limited savings or alternative sources of income.

UN Women is working within the Government of Nepal's broader emergency response alongside UN agencies, women's rights organizations and humanitarian partners to help affected women and girls reach essential services and protection. Its recovery work also focuses on helping women independently access assistance, rebuild livelihoods and participate in decisions about how their communities recover.

Women-Led Community Kitchens Bring Food, Income and Leadership Into the Response

One part of the emergency effort is UN Women's Community Kitchen initiative, a women-led response designed to provide immediate food assistance while creating space for women to take leadership roles, earn livelihoods and contribute directly to their communities' longer-term recovery. Such support becomes especially important when disasters increase unpaid care work and leave women with fewer opportunities to generate income.

Recovery efforts are also addressing practical obstacles involving documentation, property ownership, language and mobility, all of which can determine whether a woman is able to receive assistance or rebuild independently after losing her home and possessions.

UN Women is urgently appealing for USD 2 million to support women and girls affected by the floods, particularly people who have been displaced or face increased risks of violence, trafficking and exploitation. Fernandez-Pacheco stressed that resources are urgently needed to reach women and girls who have been cut off from assistance and are struggling to meet their most basic needs.

As rescue teams continue searching for those still missing, Nepal's recovery will depend not only on rebuilding roads, homes and public infrastructure, but also on ensuring that women and girls can recover safely, regain their livelihoods, access assistance in their own right and have a meaningful voice in rebuilding the communities they call home.