Nepal Earthquake

Dear GlobalGiving Community,

It is amazing how time flies - it is now just over a year after the devastating earthquake in Nepal. So much has happened in that time it's hard to know where to begin. I thought you would find it interesting to read a letter from our 25 Nepal staff members, and to view a series of infographics we created to highlight some of the important parts of this past year in the images around this text:

One year ago today, all of our lives changed in an instant. That which we had believed to be solid and immutable -  the very Earth beneath our feet - shook and turned deadly. In a matter of minutes, nearly 9,000 people were killed and millions left homeless. Ancient temples were reduced to dust, and entire villages were buried under landslides and avalanches whose energy matched that of atomic weapons.

In the weeks and months after the quake, our staff and community partners sprung to action. We provided relief materials and quickly constructed temporary schools in quake-effected communities that other organizations were not able to reach. Our staff members also volunteered their time and expertise to grassroots efforts that had a nationwide impact and gathered international attention.

The list of our accomplishments over the past year is long. We provided immediate shelter to twelve thousand people; built 40 temporary schools that allowed 2,608 students to resume schooling within a month of the quake; pioneered new building designs for earthquake-safe schools; and broke ground on nine new school buildings in some of Nepal's most remote communities.

Despite this success, the bulk of our work remains ahead of us. Community members have identified the need for income generation programs to help them rebuild economically, and we have set an ambitious goal of doubling participation in our livelihoods programs. We have a commitment to rebuild another 22 school buildings, and to train local masons and carpenters on earthquake-safe building techniques.

The earthquake brought us to face hardships that we could not have imagined before. It also taught us how to serve Nepal when our support was needed the most. One year on, dZi has emerged as a stronger, more prepared, and more effective organization than ever before - and this is due entirely to the support we have received from generous individuals from around the globe, including yourself.

In that same instant, we learned that we are part of a global community. Your support for our work, and for Nepal, saved countless lives and helped even more begin the long process of rebuilding. In the near-complete absence of Government support, this has been the only hope for quake victims across Nepal.

One year on, we salute you. Thank you for being a part of our family, for contributing when it mattered the most. One year on, we are looking forward to a bright future together.

Gratefully,

dZi's Nepal Country Office Family

Links:

• dZi Video A Year After the Earthquake

The significant earthquake on April 25, 2015, in Nepal resulted in tragic consequences including 9000 people losing their lives and the destruction of historical and modern infrastructure. dZi Foundation has been working in some of the most remote villages of Eastern Nepal since 1998. With 25 Nepali staff on the ground, dZi has been effectively delivering a wide variety of impactful, community-led initiatives that address a deep and wide array of community needs and concerns. 

In the aftermath of the earthquake, our staff traveled to our project areas and held dozens of community meetings to assess damage and to discuss what community priorities were. We were pleased to find out that what our partner communities wanted was essentially more of the same programming we have been delivering, rather than a change in focus. This reaffirmed that from a community perspective our model is working and is more important to implement now than ever before.

As the result of increased fundraising shortly after the April earthquake, dZi decided to commit to a significant project budget increase for the current fiscal year. Programs include schools, drinking water and irrigation systems, sanitary toilets, bridges, agriculture and income generation initiatives, and lots of trainings for community capacity building. Building schools has been a core component of our Deep Development model for many years now, but as a result of community input, we have committed to increasing our budget for schools in particular for this year and the next two years. We are building 9 schools as I write this, with plans for 22 more over the next two years. 

We have hired a full time Nepali engineer who has done an amazing job engineering earthquake safe schools using largely local materials. He travels between villages and not only oversees projects but trains community members how to build in new ways to ensure dZi schools remain standing after future earthquakes. 

Working in Nepal continues to be challenging on many fronts. While the embargo/blockade at the India border has finally been lifted, the flow of fuel and materials is not yet back to 'normal'. dZi staff and community members are redoubling their efforts to finish the 9 schools we have started before the annual Monsoon season begins, and we are already planning for the 2017 project year which will be at least as busy as this year!

You can follow us on Facebook to see regularly updated reports from the field. Thank you for your support of our programs and the people of Nepal!