Nepal Earthquake : Support for remote communities

Namaste Friends, 

Six year ago, this month, we were hit by the massive earthquake causing a massive loss of lives and livelihoods. PHASE Nepal team would like to commomerate those hard times and express heartfelt appreciations to all the donors, partner agencies and supporters for supporting the neediest communities to rise back. In this short recall, we would like to highlight our major achievments that we are able to materialize with the help of  numerous supporters like you. The rebuilding of houses, schools, heath centres along peoples' livelihoods and hope took significant time, effort, resources and most of all resilience. PHASE was able to support more than 15000 families, first, with immediate relief materials such as food and sanitation package, basic shelter materials and winterization support in the first year and with recovery projects consisting agriculture and vocational training initiatives and economic empowerment in the following years.

Right from the second year of the earthquake PHASE was already able to support 2000 most vulnerable communities with livelihood recovery, initiate the rebuilding of 54 schools via temporary buildings ,5 schools other permanent buildlings that in the most earthquake affected remote villages of Sindhupalchok, Gorkha and Syanga. There we worked in providing reconstruction support in areas where no other NGOs or Government have reached. We also continued running 2 alternative schools at the snowy villages of Tsum area bordering to Tibet in northen-most Gorkha providing quality education in the neediest of times. Similarly in the Health Sector, PHASE contined to support basic primary health care and maternity services in 6 ultra remote areas of Gorkha and 4 similar areas of Sindhupalchok  year right from under the tents . By the end of 5 years PHASE's role was intrumental in ensuring permanent building and basic birthing facilities in these health posts, 5 of which were built directly by PHASE while the others were partly supported by staff and equipment.

Rebuilding Health, Education and Livelihood recovery, PHASE continued with rebuilding 86 different water reservoir tanks and 100s of public taps bringing drinking water service, sanitation and irrigation back in the villages of Sindhupalhok. In Gorkha the devastated walking trails on the mountainous terrains were rebuilt with eco friendly stoned step models reaching more than 70 kilometers, reviving cross village mobility ,thus economy and accessibility to other services. Similarly in Chitwan and Dhading we were able to build 800 houses for the most vulnerable people who were unable to builld a decent shelter even after 4 years of the earthquake. With a theme of leaving no one behind we have been further working with more than 7000 most vulnerable households especially single women, persons with disability, internally displaced and  the elderly with appropriate interventions on sustainable livelihoods, inclusion and economic recovery in Gorkha while also supporting 100 vulnerable people to finally build their houses.

Having hit by another disaster of the Global Covid-19 Pandemic was a big blow for us. Many of our staff got sick and one of our staff passed away because of the contagion despite using all the prevention methods to avoid infection. With one and a half decade providing most essential services such as health, education and livelihoods improvment, we chose to continue our work during the pandemic because in the absence of such services, the community of the remote would have become further victimized, if not by direct infection but definitely by the secondary impact of extended lockdown and complete closure of the essential services. Now that all of us staff have received 1st dose of Covid-19 vaccine, we feel a bit more safe.

This year too, we will still continue to provide high quality services to the most needy and vulnerable communities who are still hit by the long term impact of the earthquake. Most of the  people have forgotten earthquake but  not our team who has the first hand experience of working with earthquake hit poor, marginalized and isolated communities whose scars of the disasters are still deep and we are commited to  fill them a bit with empowering community projects.

Thank you again for your continued support.

Since 2015, PHASE Nepal has been supporting the earthquake affected communities specially those of remote areas in Gorkha, Sindhupalchok, Chitwan and Dhading. Even in the 5th year of the earthquake some of the isolated communities were still deprived of their homes, schools and health posts. Prioritizing these communities, PHASE Nepal has done a series of activities in this year despite added challenges of the Covid-19 crisis.

Here is a list of activities PHASE Nepal has done in this fiscal year in short.

1. Supported more than 8000 most vulnerable families of 4 different rural municipalities of Gorkha comprised of more than 25 villages in economic empowerment programmes. The programmes were on farm and off farm activities such as vegetable farming, poutry rearing, spice crop farming, mushroom farming vocational trainings like carpentry, automobile driving, electrician and bee keeping. 

2. Completed the construction of 2 high schools in Sindhupalchok in Jugal Rural Municipality.

3. Completed the construction of the 2 health facilities Jugal and Panchpokhari Rural Municipality.

4. Upgraded 8 different schools of Gorkha with improved early childhood classes, computer education and science laboratories.

5. Completed building support to 803 vulnerable families who were deprived of permanent shelter since earthquake in Chitwan and Dhading 

While PHASE Nepal has also started working in COVID-19 response along with its regular community development work, its earthquake related works are still ongoing. The latest activity is the start of housing project to the most needy houseless families in North Gorkha. 

PHASE Nepal wholeheartedly thank all the individual and instititional donors for their selfless support to finally rebuild the communities back from the effects of the devastating earthquake.

This quarter PHASE Nepal post-earthquake rebuilding team successfully completed the construction of 2 health facilities in Baruwa Village as well as Baramchi village of Sindhupachok. 

The facility at Baramchi is a birthing centre , a 7 roomed structure while the one at Baruwa is a community health unit a 2 roomed structure. With joint funding from this GlobalGiving project, GlobalGiving's separate grant and donations from a few other PHASE's partners the rebuilding has been materialized.

While the Baramchi health post will be handed to the government in the coming months. Baruwa clinic will be further supported with medicine and staff support with PHASE's core health project team.

While we are still working on the post-earthquake recover we have been hit by the global pandemic of COVID-19 with more than 16000 thousands of the infected and more than 35 deaths nationwide, PHASE's focus is to continue supporting the earthquake-affected communities with additional activities on COVID recovery too.

So far these two villages do not have any confirmed cased of COVID-19 but our staff are maintaining utmost precautions to prevent infection by following the organization's contingency plan and safety guidelines.

" PHASE's support to keep the essential health service going on even during the pandemic is praiseworthy. It's a challenging time and we were just growing up from the earthquake recovery and we have COVID to fight. Than you for your support", shares ward chairperson of  Baruwa.

An update on completed and ongoing post-earthquake reconstruction projects in Hagam

 PHASE Nepal has been running a number of relief, recovery and reconstruction projects in some of the most remote earthquake-affected areas of Sindhupalchok and Gorkha. In this report, we will cover a short update on the completed and ongoing reconstruction activities in Hagam village of Sindhupalchok.

Hagam village lies in the far northern terrain of Sindhupalchok district and was completely destroyed in the earthquake with no houses, schools or health post standing. Wish some immediate support in shelter and food materials. PHASE worked mainly in livelihood recovery via vegetable and poultry farming initiatives to more than 200 households and reconstruction of the public infrastructures such as schools and health facilities.

Talking about reconstruction, here is a list of ongoing and completed reconstruction projects in Hagam Village.

1. 90% completion of the construction of 2 high school buildings (20 roomed structure each with office rooms and school toilets )
2. Completion of 1 health post building (Completed last year)
3. Completion of 1 outreach clinic (completed this year)
4. Completion of a house for an elderly single woman who did not receive any government support.

Including all these, there are 9 different community building and 1 personal house recently rebuilt by PHASE as an effort to rebuild some of the most isolated communities. PHASE will continue to support the neediest communities who are still left behind in the aftermath of the great earthquake 2015.

“Earthquake is not in our control, and when it comes, leaves an unforgettable memory” recalls Bhuwan Singh Gurung of Ichhyakamana who lost his elder son in a landslide. He had started rebuilding his house but spent all his money on treating his wife for depression. He was only able to finish the foundation of his house. 

Many poor families like Gurung continue living in temporary shelters made from CGI(Corrugated Galvanised Iron) and straw after the earthquake of 2015. Now with PHASE's support, he has finally completed building his house. “Even my wife is happy now,” says Gurung. Targetting nearly 500 vulnerable families who have not been able to build their house even after 4 years of the earthquake, PHASE has been providing building materials and technical support to help these families build a new earthquake-resilient house.

PHASE continues its rebuilding of earthquake-affected communities in Ichhyakamana and Jwalamukhi rural municipalities of Chitwan and Dhading districts. We have built more than 300 houses till now and are closer to achieving our goal.