Temporary Shelter for Earthquake Victims

The devastating earthquake, 7.8 of magnitude, and the successive aftershocks left many Nepalese homeless with huge loss of life and property. Sindhupalchok is one among the seriously affected 14 districts of Nepal.

But for those who resisted the shocks, and refused to die, had a mammoth challenge ahead to survive. Their ultimate ordeal of survival was harsher as the monsoon was approaching that could have had further battered them under the open sky.

Their torment took a different turn when a local NGO of Sinchupalchok, Janahit Gramin Sewa Samittee (JGSS), and UN Habitat, a development partner for sustainable housing solution, decided to reduce their suffering by building temporary houses for them.

The procedure started immediately. On 21st July 2015, after getting approval from District Disaster Recovery Committee (DDRC) of the district both the organizations launched their extensive field operation in two of the villages--Irkhu and Kubinde.

The organizations could however gather limited resources merely enough for constructing 270 temporary houses. Therefore, they had to choose the most affected ones which was another daunting challenge to cope up with. Yet, the local authority together with peoples' representatives abided by the government's standard of selection of vulnerable people needing immediate support. The beneficiaries included single women, child headed household, elderly, family of the deceased, and disadvantaged groups, such as Dalits and ethnic minorities.

In each Village Development Committee (VDC), the selection committee comprising VDC secretary, political party representatives, Ward Citizen Forum, Female Child Health Volunteer (FCHV), Social Mobilizer, and teachers selected beneficiaries who need immediate support. As a result, beneficiaries were selected from each ward of those VDCs on a proportional basis. 

Further, personnel from both the organizations consolidated their field missions. They started by surveying the locations so as to prepare the land for construction. The team went to the selected beneficiaries, inspected the area, and recommended the area for temporary shelter. The victims, in tandem with these technical people, started digging for the foundation, erected frame, as well as did whatever they could on their own. In fact, the earthquake victims applied all those salvage materials, such as wood, broken CGI sheets and jute sacks, and used them wherever they fit into the newly built house.

Next, those people were provided with two bundles of CGI sheets as well as 7 man days of masons and carpenters. The skilled masons helped them to erect the frame and apply CGI. Those victims utilized all their residual resources and worked days and nights, doing all the unskilled work by themselves.  

Every day, as the work progressed, they looked ever brighter, ever happier and ever satisfied as their only shelter was taking its shape. Finally, they could see their own house, though temporary, standing tall and firm in front of them.

Their shattered hope of survival has revived again along with the house they've made from the scattered debris. Now, the people of Kubinde and Irkhu villages of Sindhupalchok district can not only stay safe from rain and winter but also avert the horrible death lurking deep beneath their feet.