Disaster Response Nepal Project #20354

Earthquake Aid Nepal

Project Report | Jun 7, 2017
Two Years after the Great Earthquake: Farmer Riyang tries to master everyday life

By Michael Tuerk | Michael Tuerk

Farmer Rijang Tamang faces a new start

My name is Riyang. I’m 35 years old. I was with my family in the field near my home, when the earthquake occurred on Saturday, April 25, 2015. Everyone was horrified. The earthquake transformed the village into chaos. The houses collapsed. The people in the village screamed and cried and went to look for their family members. My house was also completely destroyed by the quake. There was nothing iI could save from what was left of my former home.

Due to the unsafe situation, we decided to go to the top of the mountain. For more than a month I lived with my family in a stable. Only after the monsoon, when the problems with the leeches in the highlands increased where we were lodged, we returned to the village.

Now I live with my wife, my two twelve- and six-year-old daughters, as well as with our son, in the village of Mankha in the Sindhupalchwok district. My older daughter and my son go to the high school in the neighboring village, while my younger daughter attends the elementary school in the village. Both schools had been closed for nearly two months.

Subsistence farming and livestock farming are our main occupations. I lost all my five goats, the goat's barn collapsed during the earthquake. Two of the goats had been pregnant. If they had been born, I would have been able to sell them to make some money. Therefore, the death of the animals was also a huge financial loss for me.

When we returned from the top of the mountain to our village some time after the quake, there were only very few helpers on the ground. I think this is mainly due to the fact that this place, in contrast to the neighboring towns, is much more secluded. The path to the village, especially during the rainy season, is often blocked by rubble and mud.

Nevertheless, we received some tarpaulins, food rations, hygiene sets and also some financial support: The government paid 15,000 rupees for completely destroyed houses and 7,000 for partially destroyed houses.

Now PHASE-Nepal, the partner organization of Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe, is located in the village and has distributed corrugated iron. With the corrugated iron in my hand, I feel as if my confidence returned. I took confidence again. My most important goal is to build a new house.

For that matter, without your support, Riyang might not have been able to build up his house again. It never ceases to amaze me that such a direct solution improves so much. Thank you for being an important part of the solution.

Yours

Michael Tuerk

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Jan 26, 2017
Nepal - Reconstruction in progress

By Michael Tuerk | Project Leader

Clean water in Nepal

The consequences of the devastating earthquakes of April and May 2015 are still visible in Nepal.

The reconstruction projects of the Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe are running and they show progress. So far we provided more than 8.2 million euros for aid in Nepal. Approximately 635,000 people have benefited from these actions.

Never before had the people in Nepal experienced a natural catastrophe of this magnitude: 8,500 people lost their lives and millions became homeless. 600,000 houses collapsed, 288,000 were badly damaged. Ruins and ruins dominated the picture in the villages. Fields were devastated, aftershocks and landslides worsened the situation. Many people stayed outside and did not know what to eat.

Thanks to its global network ACT Alliance and you as our donors, we were able to react immediately and start emergency relief measures within two hours. In the first two weeks after the earthquake, 100,000 people were supplied with vital necessities, after six months it was already 400,000. In addition to food, water, cooking utensils, hygienic articles and blankets, we spread out in twelve districts tarpaulins, corrugated iron and other building materials as well as tools for initial emergency accommodations and repairs. In this way people protected themselves from the monsoon, then from the winter.

In the district of Lalitpur, which has received hardly any international assistance during reconstruction, despite the immense damage caused by the earthquake, 250 earthquake-proof houses are built. The project will provide training in earthquake-proof construction and repair in six districts of Bajrabarahi. In addition, drinking water plants are being repaired and latrines are being built. In addition to the construction of sanitary facilities, training courses on hygienic practices are carried out, thereby improving the general health of the population.

Since the earthquake, the employees of our partner organizations worked tirelessly in the affected areas. By working with ACT Alliance and local partner organizations, Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe can cover a large area and avoid measures being duplicated or missing. The local and linguistic knowledge and contacts of the local organizations are a decisive advantage. "Through our local partners we were able to help without expensive imports," says Michael Frischmuth, Head of the Asia Department of Diakonie Katastrophenhilfe in Berlin. The proximity also allows the volunteers to get an idea of the situation and the needs as well as to involve those affected in the planning of the relief measures.

Thank’s a lot for your support. We would be happy if you donate for this cause to help even more from the earthquake affected people!

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Oct 28, 2016
Closing the projects - The rebuilding in Nepal continues

By Michael Tuerk | Project Manager

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