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Rebuilding lives in Nepal

Recovery efforts are well under way in Nepal. Here’s a look at some of our achievements so far and what we are looking to do in the near future.

  • 248 transitional shelter kits distributed.
  • Shelter kits to be distributed to 161 visually impaired families across four different districts this week.
  • Rubble removal activities continue in sites for potential permanent housing construction.
  • Materials secured to start the construction of the first 10 permanent houses in the coming weeks.

Our recovery efforts are assisting families who lost everything in the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks, including Sanila. Almost two weeks ago Habitat for Humanity built Sanila’s family a simple temporary shelter made of corrugated tin sheets, wires and rods in Kavre district. Sanila, 27, and her family have since added “walls” to their shelter using tin sheets and bamboo salvaged from their earthquake-affected house. Inside, Sanila, her husband and her three-year-old daughter share a bed under a mosquito net while her father-in-law will sleep on a pallet.

Sanila’s father-in-law had been sleeping out in the open after a magnitude-7.8 earthquake struck Nepal on 25 April. He fell ill following a strong storm which struck their village.  Sanila is thankful that her father-in-law, who is currently hospitalised for pneumonia, will have a safe place to come home to.

With shelter and security, Sanila can sleep better now and has been able to return to work, harvesting her tomatoes. “Now I am not worried that a strong wind might blow my home away,” Sanila said.

Now that their immediate concerns about shelter have been addressed, Sanila and her family can focus on nursing her father-in-law back to health. The family are planning on eventually building a permanent home.

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Sanila and her daughter.

Heavily pregnant Pabitra, 26, was also afraid for her family’s safety and uncertain of their future when she was sharing a tent with more than 10 family members after the 25 April earthquake.

Pabitra now feels more secure now that she is living in a temporary shelter built by Habitat for Humanity’s staff and volunteers.

Her husband’s uncle, Parshuram has helped to make the shelter more solid by using mud to raise the floor inside the shelter and a combination of bamboo strips and tarpaulin to form the “walls”. Parshuram lives with his family in another temporary shelter built by Habitat, close to Pabitra’s family.

Having settled the issue of shelter for now, Pabitra and her family can focus on other matters such as clearing the land to grow potatoes.

Although Pashuram is a skilled mason, jobs are hard to come by. His eyesight is also deteriorating. Still, Pabitra and her family are thankful they are safe. They are not afraid of the strong winds and rains that will come with the monsoon because they can take shelter in their new house.

“Not many families get these shelters, and we’re lucky to get a temporary shelter kit. We are thankful for the Habitat volunteers who helped us and who supported us,” said Pabitra.

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Pabitra and her family

Help families like Pabitra and Sanila gain access to safe and decent shelter. Click here to make a tax-deductible donation and help families who have lost their homes in the earthquake.

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