By Nina Smith | Executive Director
Dear GlobalGiver,
I’ve just returned from Nepal, a country still reeling from two devastating earthquakes this spring that killed nearly 9,000 people. I spent the last two weeks of June with GoodWeave’s local staff, licensed exporters, grantors, partners, as well as government officials. As a generous donor to our Earthquake Relief Fund, you are receiving this report of what I witnessed on the ground. Here is my first field update, as drafted from my room in a Kathmandu guest house:
Today, we visited the hardest hit of GoodWeave’s 75 licensed exporters in Nepal. While most are back up and running, this was a site of devastation. This is what we saw as we approached – the owner Bimal seated outside what was once a beautiful, sprawling building that had overlooked the Valley and combined his home and factory.
The first 7.8 magnitude earthquake on April 25 left the building with significant cracks. The second earthquake 16 days later brought it tumbling down. All the looms, raw materials and finished rugs inside were destroyed. Bimal and his family were left with nothing.
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquakes, GoodWeave Nepal visited Bimal and 274 other participating factories to provide emergency assistance, offering medical aid, then food, mattresses and tents to more than 5,700 workers and their families.During a second phase, the team assessed the damage and safety of weaving facilities. According to my colleagues who worked round-the-clock during those harrowing days, the owners and weavers cried out with relief: “You came to us!"
When I met with Bimal, he showed me the makeshift loom shed he built from metal sheeting – a temporary solution, but one that is more comforting than concrete. Seven weavers have returned from Sarlahi and Sindhupalchowk districts, eager to replace lost income. With support from his buyer and GoodWeave, Bimal will soon begin production on two rugs – his first order since the earthquakes.
Now, more than two months after the first quake, the initial shock has worn off – but much remains to be done. At the moment, we estimate that at least 800 individual weavers in our community have completely lost their homes to the earthquakes. As we begin to focus on longer-term rebuilding, your gift is helping us to provide housing assistance, school fees, and psychosocial support for these weavers and their families, enabling them to return to work and continue earning much-needed income. Your generosity also enables us to provide technical assistance for factories to build back better and restore jobs in the carpet industry, Nepal’s largest export sector.
On behalf of Bimal and all those who are literally rebuilding with your support – thank you.
Gratefully yours,
Nina
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