Most roads have been cleared, and businesses have reopened.
Tourism - which brings the largest source of revenue to Nepal - is gradually gaining momentum.
School children are back at school, studying in Temporary Learning Centres (TLC).
Losses and damage caused by the devastating earthquakes have been assessed.
But most of the rubble remains, and the Himalayan nation has yet to officially kick start its reconstruction mission.
One year on, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies estimates that “four million people are still living in sub-standard temporary shelters" where they are exposed to weather and health hazards. It also estimates that more than 800,000 homes were damaged.
"Despite achievements in many areas of earthquake recovery efforts, little progress has so far been made in helping survivors to rebuild permanent homes," it said.
Zinc Sheets - a Dream Come True
Adapted from a story by Compassionate Hands For Nepal (CHFN)
The earthquakes that struck Nepal in April 2015 destroyed the home of Mr Ramchandra Karki, 30. The initial shock translated into heartbreak as the place of comfort and refuge was rendered unlivable. His top priority was the safety and protection of his family.
“Our house was badly damaged, so we had no place to stay but the cowshed. Thankfully, none of my family members fell ill. Subsequently, my family moved to a tent. But it was overcrowded with people. With the children playing and fighting with each other, it adversely affected the relationships and our mood.”
With Singapore Red Cross’ contributions of zinc sheets, his family has started rebuilding their home.
A smiling Master Subash, Mr Ramchandra’s six year old son, said gleefully,
“I am very happy now. Our new home with zinc roof is beautiful and I feel safe to sleep inside.”
“Honestly, we cannot afford to buy the zinc sheets by ourselves. We were desperately thinking how to rebuild our damaged house. After we collected the free zinc sheets which Singapore has provided for my family, it is a dream come true. My elderly father was so happy, he kept smiling with peace in his heart! We are very thankful to the kind people of Singapore. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.”
Committed to Rebuilding
Five months post-quake, the Singapore Red Cross had identified some 70 community facilities in the most severely affected districts of Dolakha, Dhading, Gorkha, Sindhupalchowk and Khotang to support.
Today - one year on - the Singapore Red Cross has inked agreements to rebuild 38 projects, of which 28 are in construction:
- 19 schools in Sindhupalchok District (Jethal, Kalika and Piskar), Gorkha District (Uiya, Labu, and Kerauja) and Khotang District (Sungdel, Dipsung and Rakha Bangdel)
- 3 medical facilities
- 4 community halls
- 1 residential home for vulnerable children and youth in Kaskikot District
- 1 school hostel in Dolakha District (Gaurishanka)
At a total value of S$9 million, these projects are focused on education, healthcare and community resilience.
“The rebuilding of schools remains a priority as we want to get the large number of students, whose education has been stalled due to the disaster, to get back on track quickly. In the next phase, we will focus on building medical centres and community halls, and we are confident that these will be completed within months of commencement,” Mr Benjamin William, SRC Secretary General/CEO
Back to school, soon
By Lim Pei Shan, Singapore Red Cross
Mr Tilak Shrestha, Headmaster of Janta Lower Secondary School, was looking forward to the start of the school term on 26 April 2015.
On the eve unfortunately, Nepal was thrown into a state of turmoil when a powerful earthquake measuring 7.8 magnitude on the Richter scale, inflicted catastrophic damage in its wake.
The calamity sent the nation reeling as it destroyed homes, property, claimed lives and brought economy and livelihoods to a standstill. Over 8,800 lives were lost, more than 22,000 casualties sustained injuries, and more than 893,000 buildings were partially or fully damaged, according to the Government of Nepal.
Mr Shrestha was just sitting near the school in Jaljale, Piskar VDC when the roof of the school was blown away by the strong wind. He was wondering what to do with the roof when he suddenly felt the strong tremors of the earthquake.
“Everything happened so quickly. The school walls crumbled. Rocks were falling and debris were scattered all around. Smoke emerged and everything was engulfed in dust.”
Mr Shrestha’s initial thoughts were of his family. But there was no mobile connection. He rushed home to check if his family members were safe. He was shocked to see his son standing on the roof.
“When my son saw me, he jumped off the roof to be with me. He was so traumatised, that he now lives in Kathmandu and he refuses to return to the village.”
Fortunately, there was no casualty among the villagers.
“After the first earthquake, the villagers were too scared to stay in their house. When the second earthquake occurred, though more severe, there were no casualties,” he explained.
“When the children saw the state of the school, they asked me where they could study and when the school will be rebuilt.”
One month after the second earthquake, the children went back to school and were studying in Temporary Learning Centres made of tents contributed by China.
“We are fortunate that Praramva, a local NGO and a partner of the Singapore Red Cross, came over to Piskar to assist us. Our school rebuilding will be funded by Singapore Red Cross. I really hope that the permanent school will be ready before the monsoon season commences. The students and their parents are happy and are excited to see the new school.”
Overcoming Challenges, Charting Progress
It has been a year, but little headway has been made in the nation’s rebuilding efforts as its people attempt to return to a life of normalcy.
“The rebuilding has been plagued with many challenges; the main one being the closing of borders, which cut off some essential supplies needed for construction. That hampered progress,” said Mr Benjamin William, SRC Secretary General.
For the uninitiated, the border blockage arose from a protracted dispute over a new constitution that fuelled violent remonstrations amongst communities living along the country’s southern border with India. With the reopening of the border, rebuilding efforts are gradually gaining traction.
Nepal’s mountainous terrains present accessibility issues, through which the humanitarian organisation had to understand and navigate.
"Nepal has highly challenging terrains that are distinct in each area. Not only was it difficult to access some areas, it was also challenging to evaluate the projects, across the vastly different terrains,"said Ms Charis Chan, Head, International Services.
“Most of our projects are located in remote mountainous areas and some are inaccessible by vehicles. Our partners would have to trek for at least an hour or up to a few days to reach the project site. And the challenge does not end there. The presence of boulders in construction sites meant more time was required for foundation works.”
Notwithstanding these environmental factors, the Singapore Red Cross is pushing ahead with the rebuilding, working closely with the Nepalese Red Cross and local partners who have intimate knowledge of the people’s needs and useful networks and resources to bring impactful projects to fruition. The SRC has also proactively rallied its various partners for a workshop to share best practices in rebuilding, so that the individual aid agencies benefit from shared experiences and collective wisdom that enable better productivity and consequently, expeditious recovery of critical services.
“To ensure that these projects are completed efficiently and meet the local authority standards, we have also met with officials from the Education and Urban Development departments to understand their requirements for these community facilities. We have in turn emphasised to our partners the need to obtain all the needed approvals from the relevant local authorities, as well as to meet our own high standards of governance and financial management,” said Mr William.
He added that, as risk management, project funds will be disbursed progressively, based on the rate of completion.
With rebuilding now charting good progress, the Singapore Red Cross is committed to complete most of the schools before the monsoon season in mid-June. The focus in the next phase will be on reviving healthcare facilities and community halls.
Healthcare closer home
By Lim Pei Shan, Singapore Red Cross
Mrs Tikamaya Shrestha, 88, was at home in Jaljale, Piskar VDC with her daughter-in-law, when the first earthquake occurred on 25 April 2015. Unfortunately, she could not get out in time, and her home collapsed around her.
Her son, Mr Nurbhadur Shrestha, 57, was listening to music at his neighbour’s when the first earthquake tremors were felt.
“I saw animals running and houses crumbling down. I ran home to check on my family, and was shocked to find my mother trapped in rubble. I tried all means to free her. By then, she was badly injured.”
It was impossible to get medication in the village when the nearest health post was so far away.
Upon learning that Singapore Red Cross was rebuilding a school and building a health post near her home, Mrs Shrestha was elated.
“It will be so much easier for me to seek medical treatment in the future."
Shared Hope for a Brighter Future
With an eye on the future, Singapore Red Cross intends to leverage the rebuilt community facilities to provide services that strengthen community resilience. These include healthcare, given the high infant mortality rate and chronic malnutrition; education, given the low literacy rate; as well as youth development. It also looks set to engage its youth wing - the Red Cross Youth - for humanitarian programmes in Nepal.
As a gesture of friendship and gratitude, the Nepalese Society in Singapore has organised a blood drive themed “A Community Bonded by Blood” to thank Singaporeans for their warm support in helping to rebuild their homeland.
Backgrounder
The public appeal launched on 28 April 2015 collected over S$11 million in donations, of which more than S$600,000 was disbursed in the immediate relief phase for the distribution of relief items and emergency supplies, as well as the deployment of five medical teams and medical supplies.
Cover Photo by Badri Raj Timalsina, Praramva
