Following the April and May earthquakes that struck Nepal, Habitat for Humanity has helped affected families through various programs.
Humanitarian work:
- Forty families in three districts have benefitted from rubble removal by local volunteer teams. Rubble removal work will continue as part of the permanent home construction program in the recovery work phase and be community-led.
- Five thousand temporary shelter kits will be distributed by the end of August. More than 2,300 have been given out in four districts to date.
- Twenty thousand water backpacks have been distributed in seven districts, involving more than 60 volunteers.
- Seventy-two surveyors will conduct safety assessments of 15,000 houses. Evaluations of more than 3,400 houses have already been completed by forty surveyors.
- More than 840 local volunteers have supported Habitat for Humanity’s work to date.
Habitat for Humanity is working with partners and the affected communities to rebuild homes and hope.
Recovery work:
- Forty-five demonstration permanent homes will be built by Habitat for Humanity. Through such constructions, Habitat provides hands-on training for partners and communities with guidance on using appropriate and affordable materials, and the step-by-step process to building an earthquake-resilient house. Thus, Habitat for Humanity will be able to impart its technical expertise to others and multiply support to greater numbers of families.
- A hundred permanent homes will be built by Habitat for Humanity in one location as an example of complete community revitalization. In addition to building homes, Habitat for Humanity will liaise with others to provide infrastructure and basic services. Habitat for Humanity will share its experience of working with partners – government, private companies, microfinance institutions or community savings groups – and details of the resources and materials needed in order to deliver the project. The community will serve as a case study, so other organizations can replicate the project in different locations, scaling up operations and thereby supporting more families. A groundbreaking ceremony for the first of these 100 permanent homes took place in early July.
- Technical assistance will be provided to support thousands more families to build their own homes. Habitat for Humanity will recruit and train teams to ensure quality and earthquake-resilience. This work is expected to take place over the next 3-5 years
