In the last month, hundreds of families around the Nawalpur VDC in Sindhupalchok received 50,000 Nepali Rupees (about USD $500) each. After more than a year and a half waiting for government aid, there is a sense of relief and excitement at the money finally arriving. But what does it really mean?
In Takure, where I live, families are now left to decide how to spend these funds. The government, in partnership with Red Cross, says that these funds need to be used to build the foundation of a house. Then, once the foundation is reviewed and given approval by a government engineer, as much as USD $2500 more could be provided to the family. The expectation is that by the end of October, hundreds of families will be building the foundations to their homes.
Nodanath Mishra, one of the kindest men I know, stands next to his newly built home. Similar to those built before the earthquake, this home is made of stone and mud.
But will this USD $500 be enough to start? And most importantly, how will the homes be different than before? Can the government really oversee the earthquake-safe construction of hundreds of thousands of homes in Nepal?
As a member of a local brick-making organization producing sustainable, earthquake-safe building materials, I am interested to see how this will unfold and how, if at all, we at Conscious Impact, can be of service in Nepal.
Please share earthquake relief experiences from around Nepal and the world, and I will continue to share stories from here in Takure.
Follow more of Orion's writing on his blog, orionhaas.com