DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE HITS NEPAL APRIL › pdf › earthquake-april-2015-report-3-ica...DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE HITS NEPAL APRIL ICA Lending Hand to the Earthquake Victims Across Nepal

DEVASTATING EARTHQUAKE HITS NEPAL APRIL ICA Lending Hand to the Earthquake Victims Across Nepal

Earthquake Relief & Recovery Report

2015

Submitted by

ICA Nepal

Kriti Marg, Koteshwor

Tel. 977 01 460 2005

www.ica-nepal.org

Situation and Response

The powerful earthquake (7.8 magnitude on 25th April) and the aftershock (6.8 magnitude on 26th April) in

Nepal killed over 7000 people and injuries are twice as many. Millions of people have become homeless

and compelled to live in the open space.

The situation has become worst for many people

living in the hilly region where access to

transportation is not easy. Houses have collapsed,

stored food grains are buried, and people have

become homeless and hungry too. In this context,

ICA Nepal has been helping various villages and

communities with the relief packages so that the

affected communities can recover.

One of the village where ICA helped out with relief package is Sangla.

This village is located in Tarkeshwor Nagarpalika, in Kathmandu. People

there reported that their collapsed house had stored food grains for almost

three months and they don’t know for what they should feel bad for, the

house that got destroyed by the quake or the grains that got buried. ICA

Nepal with the help of Mr. Yeshi Dorjee, a friend of ICA Nepal, arranged

help from the Tibetan community in Nepal assisted ward no 1 and ward no

2 of Sangla village on 4th May, 2015 with the following food materials to

66 most affected households.

Food Items Quantity

1. Rice 8 kilogram

2. Bitten Rice 3 kilogram

3. Noodles 3 packets

Total relief package for each household cost Rs.750. This package can help the family of 5 members to

survive for a week. In addition to this, 10 buckets, 10 mugs, 10 steel plates was distributed to most affected

households based on their physical living condition. The villagers requested more of food items. However,

the need to cover the affected areas throughout the country made us distribute the relief packaged only in

limited quantity.

Sangla

Likewise, on 2nd may 2015 in the Gaganpani

village of Kalleri Village Development

Committee (VDC) in Dhading, ICA Nepal

assisted 118 households with the basic food

survival packages.

Also, in Jogimara village of the same district, 50

households of Chepang community were

distributed the same relief food packages.

These food survival packages consisted of the

following items:

Rice 7 kg, Masala 3 pkts,

Lintel 1 kg, Steel plate 5 pcs

Food grain 1 kg Spoon 5 pcs

Salt 1 pcs Plastic jug 1 pcs

Cooking oil 1 litre Plastic bucket 1 pcs

Bitten rice 1 kg Noodles 1 pckt

Soybean 0.5 kg

Bimala Shahi, a resident of ward number 2 of Sangla says she is still scared of the earthquake. She

just had her lunch and was preparing to go out to get fodder for her cow when the earthquake stroke.

She said, she even did not know that people are supposed to move outside of the house during the

quakes. She heard people screaming outside and she too came out. Her house was ok on the first

quake. However, the aftershock of 6.8 magnitude made her house collapse. She reported her legs still

shiver and questioned are there chances of the quake that occurred in the first day to reoccur. She

also wanted to know if the government is going to help them rebuild their house. There were many

others like Bimala with the same question and with the similar fears. ICA’s food relief package

seemed to have helped the villagers to some extent.

ICA will be covering more of the earthquake affected area with the food survival packages and tents. The

visit to affected area make us feel more need of the food supplies, water proof tents or at least tarpaulin will

help these people to cover them for at least 6 months of now.

Some photos of our response:

ICA Nepal supports EPSA – an organization operated by and for women living with disabilities.

Ms. Sangita Panthi, the founder of EPSA, herself is disabled.

Her one hand in the body does not work. When the

earthquake stroked 16 other disabled women including

Sangita were sitting outside of the EPSA’s cottage after the

lunch. Fortunately they were not involved in sewing and

making handmade items at that very moment. Sangita

reported the wall of their sewing room began to fall and 3

sewing machines got destroyed. She said we were helpless,

we couldn’t do anything. Then the women gathered outside

the EPSA’s cottage and stayed outside for 3 days. The

women got traumatized and scared but Sabita counseled

them. They did not have food too. After ICA team reached

EPSA with the food supplies they were so thankful, they said

“ICA has done us a big favor, we had nothing to eat nor the

money.

ICA Volunteers distributing relief materials in Kalari, Gagan pani, Jogi Mara VDCs in Dhading District

We provided 118 food sets to Gagan pani and Kalari VDCs

ICA Volunteers arranging food grains for distribution to earthquake affected people

ICA Nepal Team is meeting regularly to identify the most need community and how can we help them. In pic, two international ICA volunteers, Tatwa, Ishu and Amulya

The meeting decided that one of our core focus area would be Changu Narayan, Bhaktapur where ICA Learning Centre is located and ICA Nepal have been working in the area over many years

Scene of damaged house in Sangla

We coordinated with local police to distribute food materials for 50 families of Chapang Community in Jogimara VDC in Dhading

These school children are deprived from going school as the school has been destroyed. It is estimated that 5000 schools are destroyed and thousands more damaged.

We acknowledge our donors, friends, well-wishers and supporters lending a hand to ICA Nepal to provide

relief support to the earthquake affected areas. The damage is so big and thousands of families have been

displaces. Women, children and old aged people are the most affected groups.

We continuously have to support food materials and the demand of tarpaulin is very high as people have to

stay in an open space for at least 4 to 6 months. There are still villages where there are no road connection

thus, it is becoming challenging to provide relief materials.As an immediate response to the devastating

earthquake, ICA Nepal is carrying out relief providing activities through distributing food grains and edible

things. In coming days, ICA Nepal will focus on rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery activities.

ICA USA on behalf of ICA Nepal is raising fund for ‘Earthquake Relief Fund’ which will be used for

relief, recovery and rehabilitation activities for earthquake affected people in Nepal. ICA-USA will be

accepting donations to send to ICA-Nepal between now and Friday May 15th. Your gifts will be tax

deductible and the entire amount donated will be sent to Nepal. ICA Nepal acknowledges global community

and volunteers for lending a hand to help Nepal rise again.

Institute of Cultural Affairs – USA

4750 N. Sheridan

Chicago, IL 60640

You may send your support directly clicking

to:

http://www.ica-usa.org/donations/

or

Account Name: ICA Nepal

Acc. No.: 01006378902

SWIFT Code: SCBLNPKA

Bank Name: Standard Chartered Bank

Address: New Baneshwor, Kathmandu, Nepal

Report Prepared by

Ishu Subba | Executive Director | ICA Nepal

Mr. Yeshi Dorjee and our Tibetan Friends with the earthquake victims in Sangla

ICA representative Ms. Astha is talking with the earthquake victim