Nepal Earthquake: Cross-Border Action and Local Integration

The 2015 Nepal Earthquake marked a significant early moment of international engagement for Chinese social organizations, offering both a humanitarian imperative and a testing ground for nascent cross-border capacities. This chapter traces their response across four interrelated dimensions: the motivations and mobilization of diverse actors entering Nepal’s humanitarian landscape; the improvisational field operations conducted under institutional uncertainty; the evolving efforts at community engagement and cultural adaptation; and the subsequent institutional learning that catalyzed an emergent global orientation. Through detailed analysis, the chapter reveals how these organizations operated within—and against—the constraints of limited experience, legal ambiguity, and coordination gaps. Their actions in Nepal not only addressed urgent needs but also reshaped organizational identity, setting in motion a shift from domestic relief providers to aspiring transnational actors.