The twin earthquake on April 25 and May 12 turned everything into rubble. Houses were gone, drinking water facilities got destroyed, roads were blocked and irrigation canals collapsed. Sindhupalchok district was the worst hit prompting Association for Rural Social Welfare (ARSOW-Nepal) to work for relief and reconstruction in Thangpaldhap, Thangpalkot and Gunsa the most remote VDC’s from the district. With 212 death and hundreds of injuries and destruction of over two-third of properties the people from the area were in the dire need of help when we started relief and recovery immediately after the disaster.
One year has completed since Integrated Global Reconstruction Programme (IGRP) commenced and a lot has been achieved for the betterment of the victims mainly in supporting their livelihood. Currently we are implementing 32 projects in the four VDC’s while many of them have already competed. In the current pace all the projects will be completed by the month of August.
In the meantime we have also been able to expand our programme in Bhotang VDC increasing numbers of beneficiaries to 16,100 of 2,799 households up from 13,528. Support in reconstruction of houses, repairing and maintenance of rural infrastructures, support of essential logistics, psychosocial and health support to the community people and the strengthening the livelihood are the main areas ARSOW-Nepal has prioritized under IGRP.
The financial support from international humanitarian organisation Fondation De France (FDF) and technical support from Technical Support Office (TSO-ASF, A&D) is the backbone of the IGRP. The FDF leadership has been generously supporting with the budget and regular guidance helping us to move ahead effectively in an integrated manner. Their commitment for the continuous support has empowered us to plan for the betterment of the people in the days to come. As envisioned by the FDF itself our every activity is the part of integrated development that is not just focused in materialistic development but also in economic sustenance. By the completion of IGRP the VDC’s we are working will set an example for sustainable reconstruction.
The level of support we have received from the locals have enriched us with a confidence to move ahead. We are thankful to District Development Committee, VDC, local coordination committees for their continues support and motivation. Had FDF not been so generous we would have never dreamt of implementing integrated reconstruction in the area. A big thank to FDF team and the people from France.
