Earthquake and disaster risk reduction in Nepal

Namaste Friends,

While the whole world is going through the disaster of the COVID-19 pandemic, the earthquake-affected communities in remote Nepal are still needing support even for the most basic thing such as a decent shelter. PHASE Nepal in the past six years has been reaching the unreached earthquake-affected population in the remote communities to support rebuilding houses, public infrastructure, and people's livelihoods. In this short update, we have some achievements to share and some humble appeals to make.

113 new houses to the most vulnerable in North Gorkha

We supported 113 most vulnerable families (Persons living with disabilities, single women, elderly people, and ultra-poor families) to complete the rebuilding of their houses damaged by the 2015 Earthquake in four Rural Municipalities in the Gorkha district. With our support, the families were able to build decent houses for themselves. The project provided technical staff, building materials, and intensive follow-up support to accelerate and ensure the rebuilding of their houses.

"With limited income, I would never put up the courage to rebuild a home. I had given up my dream. Thanks for all PHASE Nepal’s support!", share an earthquake-affected individual, 33y, male, PWD from Gandaki Rural Municipality, Gorkha

 Food, Wash, and Shelter Packages to the Landslide Victims in Sindhupalchok and Dolakha

We supported Hygiene kits to 350 families affected by the 2021 Melamchi landslide and flash flood in Helambu village in Panchpokhari Thangpaldhap RM.
 

We also supported Food items: rice, pulses, cooking oil, and salt to the 6 most vulnerable families affected by landslides and floods in Baruwa, Sindhupalchok enough for two months. 

We supported 20 families affected by landslides with Galvanized Iron sheets to construct semi-permanent shelters in Kalinchok Rural Municipality in Dolakha district.

The supported families are the most vulnerable among the affected and have lost their houses, properties, cattle, and food grains in the floods and landslides induced by pouring monsoon.

Looking Ahead- Disaster Risk Reduction in the Far West Region

Learning from the devastating loss of life, shelter, and livelihoods in 2015 in the central and western regions namely Sindhupalchok and Gorkha, we are working to build resilient communities in the far west and Karnali region. PHASE has been working to strengthen health, education, and livelihood opportunities in these extremely isolated communities in the upper mountainous arid terrains of the Himalayan mountains. With a primitive lifestyle, settled in small hole-like mud houses, the people are ignorant of any disaster like an earthquake while the region lies in a high-risk seismic zone. The statistics say the region has been fortunately been affected by an earthquake for the past few hundred years thus possesses a risk of a bigger seismic shake anytime soon. We are focussing on resilient housing and public infrastructure and a better understanding of community members who are prepared for the disaster. We would need your further support in our endeavor in this regard too. 

We wholeheartedly appreciate your continued support for the past six years and would expect similar support in the future too.

PHASE Nepal Family

Namaste Friends,

Amid Covid-19 crisis, Nepal still has the significant remnants from the scars left by the 2015 earthquake. PHASE as an organization has been working rigorously in rebuilding the livelihoods, rebuilding the infrastructures and rebuilding resilience in the community as a whole. As the priority of the whole world is shifting towards covid response, it is pertinent that the wounds of the earthquake in people's life cannot be left unfilled and PHASE is commiteed to it. Supported by several international organization, charities and individual donors, we were able to support the most vulnerable people affected by the earthquake for the last 6 years. 

Recently, PHASE was able to complete its support in rebuilding 104 houses for several marginalized families in earthquake affected Gorkha, with a major support from an international partner organization. PHASE is still continuing to build houses for 10 more families in the region.

Similarly, in April, PHASE completed its 5 year long, community recovery project supporting more than 1000 families in having a sustainable livelihoods via vegetable and poultry farming, Kiwi fruit farming and vocational trainings in Gorkha while also strenthening primary health services and school sector education hand in hand with livelihood recovery.

Committed to providing long term support to the remote communities both with community development aproaches and disaster managment approaches, PHASE will still continue to support the earthquake affected communities for the next 2 years expecially in some of the remote villages in Sindhupalchok and Gorkha, the two of the most affected district in the 2015 earthqake. PHASE will focus on supporting the housing of the most vulnerable and building the public and community infrastructure.

While we are talking about Earthquake, we can't forget the another major disaster i.e. the  Flood and landslide specially in the Melamchi region and the surrounding regions of Sindhupalchok where a whole town has been swept away by the debri filled flooded river. With the support from GlobalGiving, PHASE Nepal supported 6 families with foood grains ,estimated to last for at least 2 months. Although there are more than 110 victims in PHASE's working areas, the selected families have lost everything including their houses in flood and needed substantial amount of food before their livelihoods become stable.

PHASE Nepal is committed to provide the most needed services to the neediest communities in remote project areas of Nepal.

Thank you for your support.

We will continue supporting the needies families affected by Earthquake and will also work to support communities affected by major disaster in the future too.