RECPHEC’s Support to Earthquake Victims
RECPHEC has been working in Gorkha district in collaboration with local NGOs since very long time addressing health issues by empowering the rural people through community partnership with socio-economic empowerment enhancing their organizational capabilities. But due to earthquake & continuous aftershocks, it has not only cost huge loss of life & property, it has damaged all the efforts & achievement done by RECPHEC. Hence, RECPHEC felt the need to support community people of our working areas & other places with immediate shortterm relief
Staff Meeting: Considering this, Mr. Shanta Lall Mulmi Executive Director RECPHEC, called a staff meeting on 10th June 2015, to assess the situation & discuss RECPHEC’s role in addressing the need of earthquake victims. As most of the RECPHEC staff’s houses were partially & fully damaged by the earthquake RECPHEC decided to review the situation & support accordingly. As for the support at the community level, it was decided to conduct a brief survey to access the present situation of relief & rehabilitation by the government, UN agencies, INGO & private sector at Gorkha & move accordingly. For this, Mr. Mulmi communicated with RECPHEC’s partner organization Bread for the World in Germany &approved a budget of Euro 22,000 from the reserved fund for the earthquake relief & rehabilitation program.
Bhattedanda VDC, Lalitpur: Bhattedada VDC is the remote area of Lalitpur district & is also the village of RECPHEC staffs Mr. Buddha Ghalan & Mr. Shyam Thing. Mr. Shanta Lall Mulmi, Executive Director distributed immediate relief goods i.e., food item for immediate support to the villagers. Provided zinc sheet to RECPHEC staffs to build temporary shelters.
Zinc Sheet Distribution: Executive Director, Mr. Shanta Lall Mulmi distributed 2-bundles of zinc sheet eachto a total of 27-household on 16th May 2015 at Bhattedanda VDC, Lalitpur District. The entire houses are now reconstructed & it is one of the best examples of rehabilitation of earthquake victims where government &
development sectors have not reached. People of Bhattedanda were happy to get relief materials as they had not received any relief materials from government & other social organization are busy at most affected areas.
For this Mr. Mulmi mobilized a total of Rs. 425,000 from Konko Church of Izno, Japan and Social Workers Group. Mr Mulmi is also the Chairperson of Social Workers Group.
In order to provide immediate support to all RECPHEC staff who were under the tent because of collapse/damage of their individual house, a total of NRs. 400,000(Four Hundred Thousand Rupees) was mobilized including Rs193, 726 from Voluntary Health Association of India, Rs.48000 from Ms. Shoba John, Mumbai and Rs. 20,980 from Richard Register, USA.
Gorkha Survey: FK fellow Mr. Soe Myint & Mr. Hari Singh Rawat visited Gorkha district twice to conduct need assessment of earthquake victims after the massive earthquake of ward 3, 4, 7& 8 of Ghairung VDC.
RECPHEC decided to involve in long-term rehabilitation program in RECPHEC project area of Gorkha district.
Based on the feedback & need identification survey conducted, Mr. Shanta Lall Mulmi, Ms. Aparna Bhatt, Ms. Chandra Kiran Shrestha, Ms. Reshma Shakya, Mr. Soe Myint & Mr. Hari Singh Rawat went to Gorkha to distribute hygiene kit (soaps, antibacterial liquid, paracetamol tablets, handplast& sanitary cloth for women), mosquito nets & torch lights to 425-families as per their immediate need. Since OXFAM GB has been heavily involved in rehabilitation of earthquake victims of Gorkha including RECPHEC project areas, RECPHEC decided to review the situation after March 2016, when OXFAM concludes its first phase.
Bhaktapur: In Bhaktapur there were 36-human casualty in ward-2 & 28 in ward-7. 82% of households are damage as a result of the earthquakes & 42% are in the process of constructing temporary shelters. Bhaktapur as being closest to Kathmandu the relief & rehabilitation process was not fast as immediate relief focused on Kathmandu. Considering this, Mr. Purna Duwal, Communication Officer of RECPHEC initiated to establish Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp at Bhaktapur after his return from Myanmar. Mr. Shanta Lall Mulmi encouraged the earthquake victims to establish office for proper management of relief and rehabilitation work. For this, RECPHEC provided office equipment, furniture’s & television for Libali Ganesh Camp. Health Right & Tobacco Control District Network of Bhaktapur district is assisting for proper camp management. As per the need identified by HRTC Bhaktapur network & Siddhartha Jyoti Nepal, RECPHEC provided29-bundle of zinc sheet to the community people of Wasikacha, Bhaktapur.
Blanket Distribution: As a patron of Asian Youth Centre, Mr. Shanta Lall Mulmi mobilized resources through AYC to provide blanket for earthquake victim. In the presence of Miss Nepal Ivana Manandhar AYC provide blankets to 70-familiesat Wasikacha, Bhaktapur.
Kavre: Pokhari Chauri village, of Kavre is 46-kilometer from Dhulikhel. People of this area have not received anything besides tent from government side. Other donors& NGOs haven’t reach Pokhari Churi village till January 2016. Health Right & Tobacco Control District Network Kavre reported RECPHEC about the condition of Pokhari Chauri people who are affected by earthquake as well as land slide. Geologist recommended government to replace all people because of landslide possibility. Government authority informed them about possible landslide and to shift from there for safety reason. They didn’t get any relief & food & non-food item.
Hence, RECPHEC went to Pokhari Chauri village to get more information on the victims need. As per the need RECPHEC provided 171 Bundle zinc sheet for 114-families to build permanent shelter. RECPHEC formulated a management committee for zinc sheet distribution. On 2nd October 2015, management committee distributed zinc Sheet on the presence of government & police. Community people felt relief after RECPHEC support to construct roof of their house.
