As survivors of the powerful earthquake that struck Nepal over the weekend struggled with deteriorating humanitarian conditions, governments, aid agencies, and other NGOs stepped up their efforts to secure funding for relief efforts in the impoverished country.

The 7.8 magnitude earthquake that shook the region around Kathmandu on Saturday — triggering avalanches on and around Mount Everest as well as numerous aftershocks — left more than four thousand dead, seven thousand injured, and survivors scrambling for food, water, and shelter. The Nepalese government's chief secretary, Lila Mani Poudyal, told the BBC his country was short of relief supplies and medical teams. There is a desperate need for "tents, dry goods, blankets, mattresses and eighty different medicines," said Poudyal. "We don't have the helicopters that we need or the expertise to rescue the people trapped." The World Health Organization, which has released $175,000 for recovery efforts from its South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund and launched a $5 million appeal, reported that hospitals in Kathmandu were overwhelmed by casualties. WHO is in the process of sending emergency health kits containing essential medicines, disposables, and instruments to the affected region to meet the health needs of eighty thousand people for  three months, and promises that additional supplies will be airlifted into the country.

According to the United Nations Financial Tracking Service, nearly $11.4 million in funding had been committed in support of earthquake relief as of mid-day Monday (EDT) — including $3.9 million from Australia, $1 million from the United States, and $1 million from Bhutan, as well as $840,000 from the Red Cross Society of China — with another $24.1 million in as-yet-uncommitted outstanding pledges from other governments. The United Kingdom's Department for International Development announced on Sunday a £5 million ($7.5 million) package, including £3 million ($4.56 million) through its Rapid Response Facility to enable partners to address immediate needs on the ground and £2 million ($3 million) for the British Red Cross. In addition, the Asian Development Bank announced a $3 million grant for tents, medical assistance, food, and drinking water, as well as a pledge of up to $200 million for longer-term recovery efforts.

Most major international aid agencies have launched fundraising campaigns in support of relief efforts, with Global Impact's Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund page listing many organizations already on the ground in Nepal. They include CARE, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières USA, International Medical Corps, Plan International USA, and World Vision. Elsewhere, campaigns on the online fundraising site Crowdrise had raised nearly $400,000 in total donations as of mid-day Monday, while the Center for Disaster Philanthropy announced that its Nepal Earthquake Recovery Fund will focus on medium- and long-term rebuilding efforts, with an emphasis on supporting vulnerable populations, filling gaps where public resources are scarce, and fostering collaborative relationships among donors.

"We're providing medical relief, treating patients, and trying to assess the extent of the damage and see how best we can mobilize supplies and resources," said Chris Skopec, senior director of emergency preparedness and response for International Medical Corps. "First and foremost, we need more resources on the ground…human resources, doctors, nurses. We need pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and we need the ability to bring clean water to the people that need it the most in a place where cholera is endemic."