Chameli’s family home was reduced to a pile of rubble after the 2015 Nepal earthquakes.
To make matters worse, her husband had recently passed away from cancer, leaving Chameli to care for their two young children on her own. As the sole bread winner of the family, Chameli took the opportunity to work as an assistant to a skilled mason at every chance. However, her income of about $7 AUD a day was insufficient to provide basic necessities like food and clothes for her family.
Since the earthquakes, Chameli and her children had been living in a temporary shelter which was cobbled together with sheets of corrugated iron. The home could not protect her family against the extreme weather changes, which resulted in many sleepless nights, especially during the monsoon season where the roof would leak.
To improve her skills in construction, Chameli participated in livelihood training led by Habitat Nepal and learnt how to construct a disaster resilient home.
Livelihood training is a key part of Habitat’s work. Such training empowers women and enables them to learn a trade and vital knowledge they can use to generate a steady income for their family.
Soon after, Chameli’s family was identified to be in great need and were selected to be recipients of a new home. She was also able to put her training into action when building her own home.
Thanks to your support, Chameli’s home was completed earlier in March this year. Their new home means that they can now build a brighter and healthier future for themselves.
“A brick cemented house with a toilet was something that I thought I could only have in future when my children grew up and earned lots of money…my income was hardly sufficient for food and my children’s education. Habitat Nepal changed my life through the training and selecting me which also gave me a chance to sharpen my skills in masonry which I will try to continue as a profession.” – Chameli
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