Building community resilience in Gorkha

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

In April and May 2015, powerful earthquakes devastated many districts in Nepal, killing more than 8,000 people and injuring thousands. In Gorkha district, where the epicentre of the first earthquake hit, the majority of homes were totally damaged.

Tens of thousands of people couldn't return to their homes, either because they'd been reduced to rubble or they refused to go back, fearing another earthquake. Instead they opted to sleep out in the open.

World Vision in partnership with European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO), brought assistance like shelter kits to affected families, especially in the remote, outlying areas of Gorkha district.

On 25 April, 62-year-old Thakur, with his cane, walked towards his barn to feed the goats and water buffalos.

“I was with at the paddy field when the earth started to shake. Hearing a rumbling sound, I thought there was an explosion. I fell down and felt the dry earth on my face. I thought I would die,” recalls Thakur.

Thakur immediately thought about his wife, who was inside the house preparing food. He lives with his wife Kamala, 62, four children and 4 grandchildren.

He received a serious injury 26 years ago after falling from a tree. “When the earthquake hit, I forgot I was handicapped. I walked as fast as I could to check on my family,” says Thakur. “Everything happened so fast.”

Relieved after seeing his entire family safe, Thakur and Kamala were worried as the earthquake caused major cracks in their two-story house.

“Where shall we go? What shall we eat?" she said.

Their family has lived in Gorkha for generations, but after the earthquake, they now live in a tent.

Every night survivors felt two or three aftershocks. Very few people slept. There was a constant sense of panic.

“I knew there would be another big one coming. I felt it. I never knew whether it was going to be big or small, or if we were going to survive that night. Any second could change our lives forever,” said Thakur.

Then, on 12 May, their fears came true. Just two weeks after the first major earthquake, there was a 7.3 magnitude quake. Old building, houses and other properties that had remained standing, were now gone. Hundreds more lives were lost.

To date, World Vision has assisted over 193,458 beneficiaries affected by the disaster with programs focused on distribution of non-food items, shelter and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) materials, plus food, health, and nutrition initiatives. About 10, 000 children are attending the child-friendly spaces and temporary learning spaces.

A community-based process accomplished the selection of beneficiaries where local officials and community people were involved.

Thankfully, Thakur’s family received shelter kits consisting of tarpaulins, blankets, and sleeping mats from World Vision, humanitarian assistance enabled by an ECHO-funded project.

“I’m glad we have a safe place to stay. Thanks for all the help,” says Thakur.

Despite some challenges, he is still willing to rebuild his house when they have the enough resources. For Thakur, the world he had known for how many decades has been devastated. Despite what happened, he still feel blessed that his family is still alive.

“What is inspiring is that despite suffering so much hardship, our community never fails to lend a helping hand,” says Thakur.

Thakur and other community people have stressed the importance of building long-term preparedness and resilience in their community. Instead of building houses made of stones, they learned another way.

“We learned that our houses were not earthquake-resistant. We should change our ways,” says Thakur.

Moving on to the rehabilitation phase of the response, World Vision continues to integrate risk reduction in all projects to help the community prepare for disasters before they happen, and mitigate their impact when they happen, thus reducing the impact on vulnerable children and communities.

“Through our integrated disaster risk reduction activities, we seek to ensure children and communities can survive disasters,” says Sheela Yogi, District Manager in Gorkha.

Thakur added that Nepali people shared one common thing—being strong, even before the earthquake. “In every village in Gorkha and other districts in Nepal, people are working together, promising to rebuild their lives back,” says Thakur. “We will get through all this.”