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Monthly Archives: May 2015

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Making a House Into a Home

I am excited to share that our team in Nepal has finished the first 6 house of the 35 we have committed to help them build. One of the really great parts of this is that they completed six homes even though we could only send them the funds for 5. These guys are incredibly resourceful and continue to prove to us that we have put our faith in the right team.  Here are the photos they sent after the first long day of construction work.

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Here is the report they sent after the second long day of construction.

We did the finishing part yesterday. We coated the walls with a mixture of mud, cow dung and water (this is the traditional Nepali way of coating walls and the floor which is also very hygienic) for 3 houses, where as we supported other 3 houses with our resources like tins, copper wires, tarps and etc. as they had their structure build for themselves and they only needed the major resources as a result we could help out an extra house which was in our later list. For the three houses that we’ve built according to our design, we have completed the framework of a house but in order to transform that house into a home we want the people living in that house to do the interiors which would create a sense of belongingness rather than the house just being a structure of tins and bamboos. We’ve provided them with tarps and other essential equipment’s. We will be going there for an inspection in two days and see what more can be done.

At our request they sent a group photo after their second exhausting day of building.

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And when they returned in two days this is what they found.

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From the rubble of their earthquake demolished homes these folks had pulled door frames and windows as well as woven mats, carpets and blankets. In two days they turned this house into a home.  I’m so excited to say that six families in the town of Shikaritar are sleeping safe and dry under the roof of their own home tonight. And I’m also happy to tell you that we can build more of these homes for only $250 each. As of today we have a goal of 29 more homes – they need to be built as soon as possible as the monsoons are starting and people will die if they don’t have proper shelter. Please donate whatever you can by clicking one of the buttons to the right. If you can’t afford $250 then speak with ten friends and see if each of you can give $25.  Together we can help rebuild Nepal and you can proudly tell your friends – I built a house in Nepal!

-Carolyn, for Hope Partnership Nepal

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Rebuilding Nepal

The rebuilding process in Nepal will be on going for years to come and cost billions of dollars. But you can make a difference right now. For only $250 you can provide a home for a family that will protect them from the coming monsoons, reoccurring aftershocks and all the harsh elements they have endured for the last month living out in the open air. These homes will save lives.

Work to make this happen has been on going for the last two weeks – here is how it came together.

With your help $5,000 was raised for emergency relief projects of supplying food, medical supplies and temporary shelter to families in the severely stricken areas of Dalchowki, Chandanpur, Kaleshwor and Sindhupalchowk. One of the groups who received your donations was a team of law school students who, despite their school being closed indefinitely due to the earthquake, continued to meet together to discuss how they could meet the needs of those around them who had suffered so much. Taking on the name YAAD (Youth Awareness and Development) they began to organize emergency relief efforts for food and temporary supplies in severely damaged village areas. Here is their report back to us:

Dalchowki lies in the southern belt of Lalitpur. The devastating earthquake dismantled nearly all the houses of this area leaving 2000 people homeless. This area lies in the periphery of Kathmandu, the capital but is unnoticed for relief, rescue and rehabilitation.

The team went to this place with relief materials which could fulfill their daily necessities. The people were in need of food and tents. The team provided adequate food for 2 months for 50 families of the area. Each family were provided with 30 kgs of rice, 2 kgs of lentils, sanitary pads for girls and women in the family, other eateries like biscuits, noodles and clean clothes we had collected from people. The distribution was carried out under the supervision of the local authorities and the priority list set by the Village Development Committee. The medicinal items like sanitary pads, antiseptic creams, ointments, gauge, cotton, Dettol, medicines etc. were handed over to the health post nearby which did not have sufficient items to serve victims.

Chandanpur and Kaleshwor lie in the South East belt of Lalitpur.  Kaleshwor shares its border with another devasted district, Makwanpur. The team managed to cover two places, Chandanpur and Kaleshwor and few houses of Makwanpur.

The people in these places were provided with tents which was their priority need. The tents were distributed to over 100 houses in the place. 50 sacks of rice, lentils were provided to those who were in need of food, according to the priority list set by the Village Development Committee. The team in cooperation with the local authorities and people made sure that only those who have not got anything and are in real need get the relief materials.  

These young students established relationships with the leaders in the villages as well as the people who received aid and as they talked about future needs a plan began to form.

The houses have been dismantled, destroyed by the devastating earthquake and people are left with no choice but being dependent upon the tarpaulins which has a very short lifespan. Apart from this there is always a fear of wild animals attacking the village areas along with another big problem that lies ahead which is the soon approaching monsoon. The people who have received relief aids stated that their prior need was a home to reside for their families. The people are staying in open air, battling the rain, storms and the not-so-ending-aftershocks as are many places where even the tarpaulins have not reached.

This led us to initiate something that could answer this current need. Our effort is to make the lives of people affected by earthquake better. The best means of doing so is acting upon their need. The essential ‘need’ here is a proper shelter. Then our team came with an idea of building temporary houses that can lasts for more than a year or at least to survive this monsoon season and until an alternative is identified for permanent housing. We are working with the theme of REBUILD NEPAL #RebuildNepal with an objective of building back not only the infrastructures that got dismantled in the rubbles but also hope, bravery, strength and positivity that we Nepalese take pride of. Our people are our own, and we want to make sure that the roof we build for them are more than just bamboos and tins.

Back in Kathmandu these future lawyers/leaders of Nepal began making plans to build homes for these families in outlying areas who have lost everything in the earthquake. With the help of friends from a neighboring Engineering School they drew up these building plans and in only a couple of days they had created a proto type and sent us photos of the work in process.

The objectives of this project are:

  1. Build shelters having capability to withstand monsoon rain and wind
  2. Use local, natural and human resources.
  3. Provide employment to people affected by the earthquake
  4. Build minimum cost shelters with longer durability

 

YAAD Housing Design

YAAD Housing Design2

Constructed of locally sourced materials (bamboo, tin sheets, chicken coop/mesh wire, plastic sheeting for interior walls and mud for exterior walls) these temporary homes can be built for $250.00 each and will house a family safely for 6 months to a year. Once the villagers are able to rebuild their permanent homes these structures can be used for out buildings for farm animals or deconstructed and the materials recycled for other uses. These structures WILL SAVE LIVES.

We have set a goal of building 35 homes in the area of Shikaritar in the district of Bhaktatur. In total 65 homes were destroyed in Shikaritar .  The team has already visited them with emergency supplies and with the assistance of local government have identified  where the first 35 homes will be built. As I write this our young friends have already purchased building materials for 5 homes and in a few hours will be transporting them to the site. In just two days five families will be safe from further falling structures and for the first time in a month will be sleeping under a sturdy, dry roof. We are so proud of these young Nepalese who are responding to this crisis in their country in brilliant ways, identifying needs, solving problems and planning for the future of their country. We are honored to come along side them in this process.

In order to build the next 30 homes we need to raise $7,500 as soon as possible. We’d love to have your family, church group, athletic team, morning coffee club whoever you can recruit to sponsor a home for a family in Nepal. Please contact us if you want more detail information and if you are able to do it today – just click the donate now button next to REBUILD NEPAL. Thank YOU!

– Carolyn, for Hope Partnership Nepal

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More Stories From the Front Lines in Nepal

Our friends in Nepal have been working so hard and I want you to hear directly from them, but first a quick update on HPN. We have raised $4,000 so far and have sent $3,700  over to three different relief efforts. As you can see from the growing number of donate buttons to the right we are continuing to raise funds for ongoing projects that we have been identifying. Here’s what has been happening on the front lines.

The young law school students from YAAD have worked hard to identify areas that are not getting aid from other sources. Their work in getting to unreached areas has even been cited in the local press twice this past week.

May8 NewspaperHere is the account they gave to us of their distribution of supplies in these remote areas outside of Kathmandu.

“We went to our targeted area Chandanpur and Kaleshowr which lies on the south east of Lalitpur. We drove 4 hrs uphill to reach our destination and what we observed was that most of the houses had collapsed and some were on the verge of collapsing and people were forced to spend their nights under an open sky.While talking to the survivors, we were informed that food right now is not as important as tents. These settlements have been farming , and consuming what they plant and harvest, they are skilled to do so. As surveyed we were right on track as their up most need was tents.

 We provided them with more than 100 tents, 450 kgs of rice, 4 bags of clothing, few boxes of biscuits and few medicines and sanitary items .

 We are thankful to our donors Hopepartnershipnepal.org , Jagadamba Steels and SR Steels. And special thanks to Carmen and Carolyn for always supporting us .

 Their support shows us that the entire world is looking out for our country . Our team has worked hard and relentlessly to help those in actual need.We are working for our brothers. We are working for our sisters. We are working for our fathers and mothers. We are working for our Nepal.

The road to Chandanpur and Kaleshowr

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The condition of the houses in the area

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Surveying the damage and distributing supplies

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The team at work

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And making new friends

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The needs in these areas are on going and we would like to be involved for the long term. We can only do it with your help. Thanks to all who have donated in these last two weeks since this tragic earthquake hit the country of Nepal.   – Carolyn for HPN

 

 

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Village of Dolchoki Reached with Supplies

We are so grateful to our partners on the ground in Nepal who despite a LONG day of arduous work were able to upload dozens of photos and write a brief update to the work that was accomplished on Saturday May 2, one week after the major earthquake hit. I hope all these dedicated young men and women are getting their much needed rest now because I know they will be right back at the efforts when the get up on Sunday morning. Here is the posting from their facebook page.

We would like to apologize to all for the late update. Our first initiation, which was providing aid around dhading area got cancelled as we got updates that massive amount government aids as well as other Ngo aids were on their way to dhading.

 Dalchoki,Lele( lalitpur) which is over 25 km away from satdobato is one of the most affected area from the massive earthquake on 25th of april 2015. After having the area surveyed we decided it as our first site to provide relief aid as almost all houses were terribly destroyed and people in the belt were deprived of all daily essentials like food, clothes, and shelter and also the government and media had failed to reach the place due to they were yet to receive relief material.

 Our partners Hope Partnership Nepal were able to collect and donate us 1000$ from which we gathered the resources and headed towards Dalchoki ,Lalitpur.

 Along with the VDC officials and cooperation of the locals we distributed the goods to around 30 families residing in the area and also managed to hand over basic medical equipment to the area health post. we distributed

 over 30 sacks of rice of which were 30 kgs each , over 30 kgs of pulse ( daal ), salt packets, dozens of biscuits and noodles, clothes , masks and women sanitary pads, band aids and some medicines were given to the health post. We would like to thank our donors Hope Partnership Nepal without whom this mission would not have been successful. We would like to encourage those who can, and have been lucky enough to survive this disaster to act. The funds are definitely important, but we believe that our strength lies in determination, and the will to give, love and care.

Their opening apology is unnecessary but I think it shows their sincere desire to do what is right and to meet immediate needs, not make a show for media or government officials. We are so proud of all of them. The last line brings me to tears and will become an oft repeated phrase in HPN.

The funds are definitely important, but we believe that our strength lies in determination, and the will to give, love and care.

Here are some of the pictures.  When our folks in Nepal wake up we’ll get more personal stories on the pictures and be able to post more details. – Carolyn for HPN

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Update to the Updates

I said early on this would be a fluid website and it certainly is. We have spent another day on line with precious friends in Nepal and are hearing both heart breaking and miraculous stories. Thanks to all who have donated.  We have successfully sent the first installment of cash and have confirmation that it arrived.  A large supply of rice, daal (beans), sanitary supplies and other basic items are being personally delivered right now to a village that as of yesterday had not received any outside aid.  By morning I hope to have photos and more details to post. Stay tuned – and fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. – Carolyn, for HPN

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