Nepal Earthquake Relief
The Power of Community and Volunteers
June 5, 2019
Community is pivotal following the devastation of natural disasters. It’s what unites families, friends and neighbors as they work through the consequent challenges. Loss of loved ones, homes destroyed beyond repair, displacement to inadequate shelter and disruption to income are a stark reality. Yet, it’s through this turmoil that a renewed sense of community is formed. It’s our human reaction to help one another and, through this help, communities can begin their road to recovery.
On April 25, 2015, thousands of communities across Nepal were struck by a violent earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8. Of Nepal’s 75 regions, 14 were declared as ‘most-affected’ leaving 5.4 million residents directly impacted by the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks.
The effect on Nepal’s infrastructure, economy and livelihoods was crippling. More than 8,000 schools were completely destroyed, 600,000+ homes crumbled leaving almost three million residents displaced. Furthermore, the immediate estimated cost of the earthquake was as much as 50% of Nepal’s $20 billion GDP. The earthquake not only caused disruption for the immediate future but will affect generations to come. The reconstruction process is bureaucratic, slow and there are countless articles highlighting the funds given to reconstruct homes and schools is nowhere near enough. As a result, residents continue to live in temporary shelter and students are taught in temporary classrooms often constructed from iron sheets and bamboo.
72 hours following the first earthquake, All Hands and Hearts (AHAH) arrived in the capital city, Kathmandu, to understand the immediate needs of communities impacted. Welcoming volunteers from all over the world, we set to work carrying out demolition of unsafe structures, debris clearance and implementing WaSH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) facilities at Internally Displaced Persons Camps. Our relatively modest number of volunteers had formed a community, all based on one core value: compassion to help, as expressed by a volunteer, “I have made lifelong friends who share a vision and drive to make the world a better place. This has inspired me to continue volunteering globally in disaster response.”
Why we help
As the disaster cycle progressed into recovery, AHAH assessed the long-term needs of communities who had been underserved or received little to no help. We found quickly this was the case for schools, especially in remote areas of the most affected districts. Logistically, Nepal is a warren of winding roads due to its mountainous terrain. As monsoon season arrives these roads are washed away by landslides prohibiting the transportation of materials. Compounded with the fact that more than 30,000 classrooms were destroyed, this ultimately left the reconstruction authority overwhelmed and unable to fully help these rural communities.
One such community is Banjhe. Nestled in the hills of Sindhuli, this small subsistence farming village is approximately eight hours drive to Kathmandu, has limited access to electricity and connectivity to phone signal or internet is rare. Essentially, out of the 256 schools AHAH has completed across 18 countries to date, Banjhe is one of the most remote locations a program has been run.
At the heart of Banjhe is Ma Vi secondary school where 190 students are enrolled. 30% of these students walk a staggering six hour round trip to attend lessons six days a week. The earthquake decimated the entire school leaving students with nowhere safe to learn or play. Upon assessment by AHAH Project Development Team in April 2018 some of the classrooms were reconstructed using stone and mortar – locally sourced materials the community could build with. The community’s desire to get its children back into school was compelling. However, the building was not constructed using disaster-resilient techniques, therefore, at risk of collapse from the slightest tremor.
The older grades were taught in classrooms without walls or windows. These conditions are dire at the best of times, yet when faced with annual monsoon storms and harsh winters it puts a huge strain on educational progress and teaching morale. After witnessing this type of need more than three years following the earthquake, AHAH knew this was a community we had to help.
Heart of the community
Throughout AHAH’s 14+ years of disaster relief, we recognize that working with the communities we serve is the solution. The community of Banjhe is dedicated to Ma Vi school and acknowledge it is more than just classrooms, they are the heart of the community and the foundation for the development of future generations. By October 2018, as monsoon season ceased, we got to work.
Our goal to enrich community members’ lives is of equal importance when rebuilding schools. AHAH has a specific department for ‘Community Coordination’ where a Nepali resident will take the position as Community Coordinator. That person’s role is to integrate AHAH volunteers and staff with the community, to lead skills development training and develop Community Led Projects (CLP). A CLP is the process of working together to develop and achieve a locally owned vision and goal, which encourages wide participation of the community. Over the years of rebuilding schools in remote communities we have led skills development projects such as; female mason training – providing women with a trade to support themselves, English lessons for our masons and students of the schools – enhancing their confidence in English speaking settings, and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) training – preparing communities for future natural disasters.
Rejuvenation
In Banjhe, one of the most pressing needs from the community was the repair of the irrigation canal, known locally as Kulo, and water mill. The water mill was built by the community to allow residents to grind their corn, millet and rice to produce flour – a food staple for the community. The irrigation canal was developed to provide water to farms surrounding Banjhe. Over time the watermill and irrigation canal was worn down and not able to withstand the pressure of water flowing through. As a result, the watermill – located next to Ma Vi school – caused disruption of lessons during times of intense rainfall, and farmers were not able to harvest enough water for their crops.
With support from our Community Coordinator and volunteers the community of Banjhe repaired the irrigation canal spanning 135m used to irrigate hundreds of acres of land, for more than 80 families. Additionally, reparation of the watermill has given three communities access to grind their grains and provide food for their families. To achieve this outcome the community banded together and up to 80 local residents a day supported the project, including Ram Thakuri who first built the watermill more than 30 years ago. A colloquial expression amongst AHAH is “we arrive early and stay late,” meaning we not only support communities during the immediacy of natural disasters but we stay for the long term to help them recover. It’s during this recovery phase we embed ourselves within communities and develop locally led projects that are going to help generations to come.
Volunteer-Powered
It’s the volunteers at AHAH that make our work a reality. They travel from far and wide and to date we have facilitated more than 57,000 volunteers from 144 nationalities. We do not require them to have any set of skills or experience in the world of disaster relief, it is the job of our expert staff to train them in the work we do. All we need from volunteers is enthusiasm, dedication and their time – for as little or as long as they wish. From our conception following the Indonesia earthquake and tsunami in 2004 we have maintained that every person should have the chance to volunteer through our free and open door approach. Giving back should have no limitations.
Through AHAH, volunteers learn many diverse skills from gutting homes in the U.S. following severe flooding to building classrooms in rural Nepal struck by earthquakes, and even learning how to live communally with people from all over the world. At the middle of it all volunteers are immersed in a multi-cultural and multi-generational community.
One such immersive experience for volunteers is an AHAH long-standing project: ‘English/ Nepali Speaking Lessons’. Led by our volunteers, the English lessons are taught to masons who the volunteers work with during the day to build the schools, and students of the schools we are reconstructing. This project allows volunteers, masons and students to learn about one another, share their stories and develop their capacity. In addition, Nepali classes are taught by our Community Coordinator to our volunteers so they can build their confidence to speak with members of the community in Nepali. Through these lessons, a natural bond is created which enhances not only the volunteers’ experience but members of the community.
This October, after the monsoon season, we’ll be returning to build more schools. Apply to volunteer here!
Balance for Better
During times of crises existing hardships rooted deep in communities and cultures are often magnified. One such hardship throughout Nepal is gender inequality, for example, the adult literacy rate for males stands at 71.6% whereas the female rate is a mere 44.5% illustrating there is a tremendous disparity between genders. This imbalance is mirrored in the workplace where women are less likely to have access to their own employment opportunities. A key factor prohibiting women to work is the social value systems that surround families and communities.
AHAH work towards increased gender balance by empowering local women with the skills and confidence to break stigmas and gain equal respect and pay in their communities. This is exemplified through our ‘Female Mason Training’ designed to provide women with construction skills. They are trained by professional Nepali masons at our school rebuild sites and taught disaster resilient methods of building. The female trainees are carefully selected by AHAH’s Community Coordinator and chosen on the basis that they are the sole breadwinners for their households and require job-skills training. Throughout their training, the female trainees provide weekly and monthly feedback as well as receiving reviews and customized tutorial sessions from the professional Nepali masons. As an accredited course, upon completion of their training, the female masons receive an independent certification of their skills.
Malati, a female mason trainee explains her previous experience of learning construction skills. A government engineer visited her community to teach homeowners how to rebuild homes resilient to future seismic activity. Malati took this opportunity to provide a safe home for her family and to learn a skill she could use in the future. Unfortunately, she stopped soon after as the community made fun of her. When the opportunity arose to take part in AHAH’s ‘Female Mason Training’ Malati took it in her stride and felt that she was “treated equally by everyone [at AHAH], even though [she’s] a woman.”
This renewal project dispels the stigma that women cannot work in skilled construction jobs. AHAH’s female staff and volunteers are ever-present examples in the community that women cannot only do “men’s work”, but they deserve the same respect and pay as their male counterparts. These female masons are champions for gender balance by building back a stronger community. They are a testament to the strength of women and, through this strength, they lay the foundation for future girls and women. These schools, and who they were built by, are a launching point to advance their communities and the world.
Our work continues. Get Involved
AHAH will continue the reconstruction of more schools across Nepal following the end of the monsoon season in October 2019. Three schools across two programs will begin in Makwanpur and Sindhuli districts, directly impacting 478 students.
For AHAH to continue our work in Nepal we look at the four key components that must be accounted for:
- Need – there must be a compelling demand based on the natural disaster. Across Nepal, our assessment team continues to find schools where students are still being taught in dire conditions putting them at risk to future earthquakes or extreme weather.
- Funding – in order to reconstruct schools across Nepal donations are needed (no matter the size of contribution). In tandem with building schools, these funds allow our Program Development Team to find more schools that have not yet received help which we can then help in the next build cycle.
- Staff – both international and local staff are needed to run our volunteer model for rebuilding schools in Nepal. It is through this collaboration of international and local staff that we are able to embed ourselves within communities and flourish.
- Volunteers – as a volunteer-powered organization we would not be able to accomplish the work we have without them. They are the core of AHAH and continue to commit their time in order to help others.
It is a careful balance of these four components that keep us running as efficiently and effectively as we do. For five consecutive years, AHAH has earned Charity Navigator’s top rating for operational and financial efficiency and through this efficacy, we are able to support communities impacted by natural disasters for generations to come.
For more information on how you can get involved click the links below:
