Although in Bhaktapur the reconstruction of houses has realy started , in the mountain area nothing can be done.
Help from Madat after the earthquake
Immediately after the heavy earthquake of 2015 the network in the Netherlands and in Nepal contacted us. It took a little bit time before communication started and we could get an impression of the situation of our projects. But even before we could handle that emergency help was necessary. In the beginning the damage to our projects and the possibilities for reparations were unknown. But it was clear that we would need a lot of money.
We quickly mobilized our own network and started actions with our website, face book and email. We have tried to inform the people in the Netherlands with correct information from Nepal. The response was great and overwhelming. And soon we had enough money to undertake many projects.
Small local projects and private gifts could soon be realized. With help from the fair trade shops in the Netherlands the families of the producers could receive help, especially in Bhaktapur were many employees had lost their house and all property and also could not work for several months. We could donate to all employees 3 months’ salary and give those who had lost their house a onetime donation. Sari Fair Fashion cooperated with giving aid to the employees of the textile producer in Bhaktapur. Individual help is also given to the daughter of an employee who first lost her husband, then her son and house. She got money to finish her education as an apothecary. The mother worked at the ceramic factory of Haribol. The daughter has finished her education and has now a guaranteed income for herself and for her mother.
Requests from our friends in Bhaktapur for the earthquake victims in the rescue camps were honored. Together with the leaders of the camps we have looked were help was most necessary and we helped in a modest way.
After two months we could make up the balance. We did get a pretty good idea about the situation in the mountains. Two of our schools were completely collapsed and could not be used anymore. Several schools had damage, but the teachers could continue with the lessons. It was however clear that we could not start immediately with rebuilding activities, because the government was working on rules for reconstructions. Therefore we made temporarily shelters –made of corrugated iron- for the schools of Utargot and Daduwa. More than one year after the earthquake the government came with rules for reconstructions and we could start with rebuilding these two schools. The big international NGO’s couldn’t do anything during one and a half year, because they had to negotiate with the government in which area they could start.
The rebuilding of the schools was going to cost a lot of money. This was because the enormous amount of steel that had to be used, but also because of the distance, the bad and steep roads. At this moment the two collapsed schools are rebuilded. In Utargot we have rebuilded only five of the ten classrooms, because together with the school comity we thought that the government should rebuild the other five. This help was promised, but until now not realized. We also helped with building two new schools near Trisuli. They are situated in an area were porters live that have participated in our trekkings. They contacted us for help, because in their villages everything was collapsed. Pauli went to their villages to look if the situation was indeed so bad and we decided to help.
Although in Bhaktapur the reconstruction of houses is in the process, it is not so in the mountain area. The people in the mountain area have no money to build a new house according to the rules of the government. How they have to continue their live, they do not know. The government has also not started with rebuilding the schools.
After the earthquake a heavy swell of the river flooded the ground floor of the Siddhi Memorial Hospital. Many expensive equipment was damaged beyond repair. The river flowing next to the hospital was upriver blocked by the earthquake, but at a certain moment the dam cracked. Here immediate help was necessary.
Below you can find an impression of the projects were help was given. Not everything was spended, but this will be done in the coming period.
Donations in Euro:
Gifts from private persons after the earthquake 109.844,86
Gifts from private persons for SMH hospital 16.900,00
Gifts fair trade shops 28.472,16
Gifts fair trade shops for rebuilding schools 5.309,28
Total per 7 december 2015 160.526,30
Spend:
Earthquake help Siddhi Memorial Hospital 9.000
Flooding help Siddhi Memorial Hospital 6.390
Direct help victim earthquake (old lady) 1.500
Medical help in the mountains 1.000
Damage inventory by our projectleader 1.000
Personal help in the temporarily shelters 2.000
Help Prajapati’s (blankets and schoolfee) 3.000
Divers help 900
Utargot emergency building 2.000
Daduwa emergency building 2.000
Rebuilding school Utargot 29.940
Rebuilding school Daduwa 32.506
Rebuilding school 1 Trisuli 30.000
Rebuilding school 2 Trisuli 30.000
Individual help 500
Fair trade shop related help
Textiles R. Shrestha weaving hall 2.000
Repairmants kiln and broken goods Haribol 5.000
Study costs daughter Laxmi Koju 1.500
Help to employees Haribol 3.900
Help to employees Sanu 9.020
Help to employees Dambar 1.500
Total summer 2017 140.656
