Texas Foundation Expands Nepal Relief as Volunteer Search Continues
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- 2 days ago
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TEMPLE, Texas, August 29, 2026, the Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, also known as the Uvalde Foundation For Kids, is continuing its national Nepal relief effort after flash floods struck parts of Nepal on August 26, while one of the Foundation’s Student Advisory Board volunteers remains unaccounted for in the Nuwakot area.
The Foundation said the student volunteer had been serving in Nepal through a church mission collaboration when the disaster occurred. Out of respect for the volunteer and the family, the Foundation is not releasing the volunteer’s name.
The organization said it is working with the volunteer’s family and pursuing appropriate channels to determine the volunteer’s whereabouts and confirm their safety. The Foundation has also reached out to the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu.
At the same time, the Texas-born nonprofit is asking individuals, families, churches, schools, businesses, civic organizations and community groups across the United States to support its National Nepal Relief Campaign.
UNICEF has reported that at least 17,000 children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance following the disaster. Communities across northern Nepal have suffered extensive damage to homes, schools, health facilities and critical infrastructure.
Foundation says volunteer search and relief work are both continuing
Daniel “Bodhi” Chapin, Founder and National Director of the Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, said the organization’s work has not paused as the search continues.
“Our efforts have not stopped,” Chapin said. “We’re working with the family, we’re making calls and we’re doing everything we can to get answers about our volunteer.”
Chapin said the Foundation is trying to balance two urgent responsibilities: supporting the volunteer’s family and continuing the humanitarian work that brought the volunteer to Nepal.
“At the same time, we can’t lose sight of why our volunteer was in Nepal,” Chapin said. “They went there to serve children and help people. We’re going to keep doing that work while we continue trying to bring our volunteer home.”
The Foundation said it is not sharing identifying details about the volunteer to protect privacy and respect the family’s wishes during an active search and response effort.
The volunteer had been in the Nuwakot area, a district in central Nepal that includes rural communities, mountain roads and areas that can become difficult to reach after major flooding or landslides. The Foundation has not released further details about the volunteer’s last known location.
Flash floods leave children and families in urgent need
The August 26 flash floods caused widespread hardship across northern Nepal, according to the Foundation’s statement and humanitarian reporting cited by the organization.
Homes, schools and medical facilities have been damaged, leaving families without safe shelter, classrooms or reliable access to basic care. Roads and other infrastructure have also been affected, making relief delivery more difficult in areas already shaped by mountainous terrain.
For children, the emergency can bring several layers of risk at once.
Families may need:
Safe drinking water
Emergency food supplies
Temporary shelter
Medical care
Hygiene supplies
School materials
Support for separated or displaced children
The Foundation cited UNICEF’s report that at least 17,000 children need urgent humanitarian assistance. In disasters like this, children can face higher risks when families lose access to clean water, health services, safe housing and protective community networks.
The Foundation said its National Nepal Relief Campaign is meant to help meet those needs while local, national and international partners continue response work on the ground.
National Nepal Relief Campaign asks U.S. communities to help
The Foundation is calling on supporters across the United States to contribute to its National Nepal Relief Campaign.
The appeal is directed to:
Individuals and families
Churches and faith communities
Schools and student groups
Businesses
Civic organizations
Community groups
The Foundation said the campaign’s net proceeds will support humanitarian relief tied to the Nepal flood response. The statement names UNICEF’s child-focused emergency needs as a central concern.
The organization’s message is both national and personal. The Foundation is rooted in Texas, but the campaign is aimed at communities nationwide. Its leadership is asking people far from Nepal to respond because the scale of the emergency requires broad support.
This work also reflects the reason the missing volunteer was in Nepal, according to Chapin. The volunteer had traveled to serve children and support people through a mission collaboration. The Foundation said continuing that service remains part of its responsibility during the crisis.
A Texas-born organization with a youth-focused mission
The Youth Peace & Justice Foundation, also known as the Uvalde Foundation For Kids, was founded in Texas and has built its public work around youth advocacy, safety and support for children affected by crisis.
This response expands that mission beyond U.S. borders.
The Nepal campaign places the Foundation among organizations trying to connect American communities with child-centered disaster relief abroad. While many of the campaign’s supporters may never have been to Nepal, the Foundation is presenting the emergency in human terms: children without safe homes, schools in need of repair, families cut off from basic services and a volunteer who remains missing after going there to serve.
The group’s public statement avoids releasing private details about the volunteer. It focuses instead on the family’s need for answers and the wider humanitarian need facing flood-affected communities.
That choice matters during any missing-person situation. Public attention can help sustain urgency, but releasing personal details too soon can create risks, spread misinformation or add strain for families. The Foundation said it will continue working through appropriate channels.
The search in Nuwakot remains active
Nuwakot’s terrain can make emergency communication and travel difficult after severe weather. Mountain roads may be blocked by debris, footpaths may be damaged and remote communities may become harder to reach.
The Foundation has not said that the volunteer was injured, only that the volunteer remains unaccounted for. The organization’s priority is to confirm the volunteer’s location and safety.
The Foundation said it is taking several steps:
Working directly with the volunteer’s family
Making calls and pursuing appropriate contacts
Seeking information through available channels
Reaching out to the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu
Protecting the volunteer’s identity during the search
For U.S. families with loved ones abroad during a disaster, embassy communication can be one important part of locating people and confirming their status. The Foundation did not provide further details about any embassy response.
Relief needs extend beyond the first days after flooding
The first days after flash flooding often focus on immediate rescue, safety and emergency supplies. The needs do not end there.
Flood-damaged communities may face weeks or months of recovery. Schools may need cleaning, repairs or temporary learning spaces. Clinics may need supplies and restored access. Families may need help replacing what was lost, from bedding and clothing to schoolbooks and cooking supplies.
Children can also need stability after a sudden disaster. Returning to safe routines, reconnecting with school and having trusted adults nearby can help reduce harm after displacement or loss.
The Foundation’s campaign is framed around these child-centered needs. By citing UNICEF’s figure of at least 17,000 children in urgent need, the organization is pointing supporters toward the scale of the crisis rather than a one-time emergency moment.
The Foundation has not released a dollar goal for the campaign in the provided statement. It has instead emphasized broad participation from across the United States.
Churches, schools and civic groups are asked to take part
The Foundation’s appeal names several types of groups that can help quickly because they already have local networks.
Churches may be able to collect donations, hold prayer or support gatherings and connect with mission communities familiar with the region. Schools and student organizations may be able to raise awareness among young people and connect the issue to service learning. Civic organizations may be able to organize community collections or direct members toward verified giving channels.
Businesses may also take part through employee giving, customer donation drives or matching gifts when available.
The Foundation’s request is not limited to large donors. Its message asks for a national response built through many communities acting together.
That approach fits the nature of disaster relief. A single donation may feel small, but coordinated support can help relief organizations send supplies, fund local response and support children and families through the first stage of recovery.
Privacy remains central as concern grows
As the search for the Student Advisory Board volunteer continues, the Foundation is asking the public to respect the volunteer’s privacy and the family’s privacy.
The organization has made clear that it will not release the volunteer’s name at this time.
That restraint is especially important when a missing person is a student volunteer. Public speculation can move faster than confirmed information, particularly during international disasters when communications may be limited or delayed.
The Foundation’s public update offers only what it has confirmed: the volunteer was serving in the Nuwakot area through a church mission collaboration, remains unaccounted for and is the focus of ongoing efforts to confirm their safety.
What comes next for the Foundation’s response
The Foundation said it will continue two tracks of work at the same time.
The first is the ongoing effort to locate the Student Advisory Board volunteer and support the volunteer’s family. That work includes calls, coordination and communication with appropriate channels, including the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu.
The second is the National Nepal Relief Campaign, which the Foundation says will continue raising support for children and families affected by the floods.
The two efforts are closely tied in the Foundation’s public message. The missing volunteer went to Nepal to serve children and help people. The organization says it intends to honor that purpose by continuing relief work while searching for answers.
The situation remains urgent for the volunteer’s family and for thousands of children affected by the floods. The Foundation’s message is clear: the search has not stopped, and neither has the relief effort.
For now, the Texas foundation is asking communities across the country to keep the missing volunteer, the volunteer’s family and Nepal’s flood-affected children at the center of the response.
Net proceeds from the campaign will be donated to UNICEF to support emergency assistance for children and families affected by the disaster in Nepal.
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