Rebuild a Nepali Village Destroyed by Earthquakes

Challenge

Dhamku, a remote village outside the reach of major aid streams, lost over 75% of it's housing and businesses during the earthquakes in Nepal. Families took to shelters made of what materials they could find, generally 1 or 2 tarps and lashed together bamboo. Without homes, these parents struggle to meet the health, nutrition and sleep needs of their children. The children struggle to succeed at school. The entire community is affected and without our partnership there are no resources to access

Solution

Our partnership with each family in our program, provides earthquake-resistant construction training and home designs so that families know where to begin and have the skills to do so. It provides the materials that are otherwise unattainable due to cost and difficulty in acquiring. And it provides guidance and support in getting each home built from beginning to end. Each family commits their labor and local/reclaimed materials, and together we build beautiful safe homes.

Long-Term Impact

Without our help these families may have no other option for many years to come. Fortunately our impact to date in Dhamku is already showing significant results including increased commerce in the village, increased school attendance, decreased negative health impacts and importantly a notable increase in positive attitudes throughout the village region. Smiles have a big effect on all things (education, prosperity, domestic life) and that matters to us.

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).

Resources