By Anne Sophie Ranjbar | Associate Director
Our hardworking Mobile Citizen Helpdesk volunteers continue to go out into 14 most earthquake-affected districts communities in Nepal to survey citizens' perceptions of the relief efforts and to listen to any concerns or confusion they have about the aid process.
A couple weeks ago, several women in the Kavrepalachowk district shared the struggles they’re facing. "Our house collapsed in the earthquake while my sick husband was being treated at the hospital. The technical team that came to our village didn't include my name. My husband has since passed away. I am alone. How will I look after my four children and send them to school?" one told us, and another shared, "My husband is abroad, so I couldn’t obtain citizenship cards for my children. When I asked them to issue an earthquake victim ID card under my name, they refused saying that my husband had to be here since the house is under his name."
Our team coordinated with Nepal’s Central Bureau of Statistics to get them the most accurate information on how to solve their problems, and spread the word about it through local radio stations and our in our 33rd Open Mic Report. We explained who those who have been wrongfully excluded can contact in their local government and we gave the contact information for an organization setting up women’s support groups in their community that could provide ongoing support.
With the generous support of donors like you, we’ve also been able to continually learn and adapt our project to make the greatest possible impact. For example, a few months ago, we began holding community meetings to share the feedback we’re collecting with not only with the key government and relief agencies, but also with the affected communities. We’ve since held 172 of these community meetings, bringing together over 15,000 community members, local government stakeholders and humanitarian partners to clarify issues and address any related concerns. These served as an important platform for local government to explain their process for allocating cash distributions to earthquake victims during the cold weather.
Next month marks one year since the devastating earthquake that this project is working to address. Starting April 25th, GlobalGiving is matching all donations to our project by 100% while funds last, so we hope you'll consider giving again and spread the word to your friends and colleagues. Together we're helping local populations have a say in the aid process, so that it can best serve their needs.
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