Following the earthquake in 2015, Caritas Nepal worked to improve lives and uplift people through its various disaster recovery programs. It implemented Nepal Earthquake Recovery Program and Gorkha Earthquake Recovery Resilience Program to facilitate holistic recovery in 16 earthquake affected locations in Dolakha, Sindhupalchowk, Kavrepalanchowk, Sindhuli and Dolakha.
More than ten thousand households were trained in livelihood recovery concerns and were provided inputs, and they are re-establishing and improving their livelihoods. The livelihoods pursued are in the sectors of agriculture, livestock raising, and poultry raising. Eight cooperatives have been strengthened and they are providing microfinance services to 6047 households. Soft loans are being provided by the cooperatives to their members to help them pursue economic recovery activities.
Disaster mainstreaming was done in all intervention sectors. Local disaster management committees were formed in eight locations and plans (LDRMP) prepared in two locations. Caritas Nepal facilitated ‘Surakshit Awas Afain Banau Aviyaan’ through which it provided full shelter support package. It included housing grants, social mobilization and technical support. The full shelter packages have reached more than 500 houses in Orang, 600 houses in Bulung, 435 houses in Kalika, and 200 houses in Thokarpa. There are also many beneficiaries of the program in Balthali and Chandenimandan.
The house construction effort was led by 1341 masons trained by Caritas Nepal on earthquake resistant construction and 192 people trained to become masons. When the earthquake struck, Sanjay Tamang, who then studied in the fourth grade, lost both of his parents. His house at Bigu, Dolakha, was also destroyed. Now he has an earthquake resistant stone mud masonry house to live in. He is now living with his grandparents. After such great loss, the new house has given their family hope.
Caritas Nepal has also strengthened the social spirit by introducing other programs to vulnerable groups. Within three years after the earthquake, a total of 2,467 earthquake affected households (12,335 people) had improved access to safe drinking water from 49 drinking water systems constructed by the local User Groups with the financial support of Caritas Nepal. In addition to this, Caritas Nepal also implemented programs that helped provide funds for referral support to more than two hundred people suffering from psychosocial trauma.
