CAFOD

A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Nepal in between Kathmandu and Pokhra. The epicenter was 30 km east-south-east of Lamjung district. The earthquake has caused a number of landslides and avalanches. Strong aftershocks, including a 6.7 magnitude quake on 26 April, continued to threaten the lives of thousands of people and to further damage buildings and infrastructure. Many people are afraid and have slept outside for several consecutive nights, in spite of the falling rain. According to UN, it is estimated that over 8 million people are affected in 39 of Nepal’s 75 districts. Over 2 million people live in the 11 most critically hit districts. CRS has committed resources to relief efforts and has requested Caritas to begin procuring emergency relief materials such as tarpaulins/shelter kits and water, sanitation and hygiene materials. CRS is also looking at transporting materials from India to Nepal and has contacted the UN Hub in Dubai to request options for humanitarian supply flights from Dubai. Caritas Nepal launched a response in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Distribution of supplies, including food packages, tarpaulins, have already occurred. Through grassroots organisations and partner CBOs, and the ability to mobilise a high number of volunteers, Caritas Nepal is well placed to deliver an immediate relief and subsequent recovery programme. The scale of the disaster and the willingness of Caritas organisations to respond necessitates a rapid response through this appeal. This response will meet urgent needs in shelter, WASH, and non-food items. A follow up full Emergency Appeal will be prepared to include a comprehensive recovery strategy. The funding from this appeal will ensure Caritas Nepal can continue relief operations- focused primarily on immediate shelter needs non-food items, with a focus on provision of water and hygiene kits in 7 of the worst affected districts. 4 new district offices and warehouses will be established to coordinate and manage the response. CAFOD has since responded to the relief efforts and has deployed a number of staff to the country. Our response will focus on WASH, shelter and protection components.

CAFOD is supporting Caritas Switzerland in the reconstruction of schools destroyed or badly damaged in Sindupalchowk by the 2015 earthquake. The project will provide safe access to schools for students and teachers. It will support students, teachers and School Management Committees (SMCs) members in improved hygiene practices and hygienic use of the schools’ sanitation facilities. It will also support the SMCs with operation and maintenance of the school buildings and water systems, and with disaster risk reduction techniques and planning. The following will be the main components of the project: 1. Construction of classrooms. 2. Connecting schools with water sources and provision of safe drinking water. 3. Construction of latrines and hand washing places. 4. Training on improved hygiene practices. 5. Training for SMCs on O&M and DRR.

This is the second phase of Cordaid's earthquake response activities in Lahrepauwa and Daibung VDCs, in Rasuwa District. Phase 2 focuses on broader recovery and the full use of the resilience methodology as a learning, planning and implementation tool. The objective is to build on existing capacities and strengthen resilience. Both phases built on Cordaid’s strategy that in disaster prone areas an integrated approach is needed to strengthen resilience in order to reduce risks and build response capacities of local communities and authorities for future disasters. The integrated strategy uses a multi- stakeholder approach involving affected communities, local and international civil society organizations, local and international authorities, private sector and research institutes. The approach focuses on hazard and local risk conditions, in this case the earthquake, landslides and its impact on the target communities. The resilience building process assumes that all men and women in the community are equally vulnerable to the hazard, what differentiates within the community are capacities to respond. The community identify their capacity gaps and priorities have been given to those sections of society where resilience is weakest and their ability to bounce back is restricted. The resilient community action plan will define longer term plans with priorities disaggregated to what can be funded by Cordaid and the rest are to be added in VDC/District plans and plans for other agencies on integrated approach. The key outputs for this project will be construction of permanent shelters and latrines, rehabilitation of water systems, livelihoods development, DRR and protection mainstreaming.

The mountain communities of Nepal and across the Hindu Kush Himalaya region face specific challenges due to the remoteness from road networks, accelerated climate change, food scarcity and malnutrition, poor sanitation and health, low levels of literacy, with little opportunity to generate incomes and develop livelihoods beyond subsistence farming. These challenges are likely to be exacerbated with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in Nepal, with assessments by our Trustees in Nepal suggesting that mountain communities based on subsistence farming are likely to experience food shortages, interrupted access to seeds and agricultural inputs and the danger of famine and malnutrition. This project builds on a post-earthquake livelihoods programme in North Gorkha (2016-2021), which piloted micro-agricultural development, by modeling kitchen gardens in Tsum Nubri and the provision of monthly agricultural development training workshops to mothers’ groups in North Gorkha.

The project has been implemented since July 2015 to address the livelihoods and WASH needs of the families living in the IDPs Camps in 2 VDCs (Lahrepauwa and Daibang) in Rasuwa district. The project aims to reach above 500 families in 4 different camps (camp B=Lahrepauwa-Dandagaun 163 HHs, Camp D=Lahrepauwa-Haku 200 HHs, Camp A=Lahrepauwa-Haku camp 65 HHs and Camp C=Daibang-Haku camp 63 HHs). there has been minor changes in the total number of the households as there is still people moving. Cordaid and its two partners Parivartan Patra and Lumanti) has established vocational centres for short term trade courses including carpentry, masonry, handicrafts (bamboo baskets in particular). Individuals from the IDPs and host communities have been/are being selected on set criteria to provide them the skills. some of the trades were outsourced to local providers like mobile repairs, computer skills and driving lessons. As envisaged the carpenters' and masons' skills as reported are being utilized in the reconstruction of the damaged houses in their local communities. The products prepared during these trainings/vocational centres were exhibited in local mela (exhibition festival) near Lahrepauwa VDC to attract market for the products. An agro-farm has also been established for the IDPs to grow innovative agri-products including seasonal and off season vegetable and mushrooms to support their livelihoods in the local markets. In continuation of applying the learning from the agro-farm Cordaid and parivartan has further supported the leading farmers from the IDPs communities to establish their own afro-farming tunnels to grow different seasonal vegetables like tomatoes, cauliflower, garlic, beans etc. 3 afro-farms have been established. Another major component of the project is to ensure for the safe drinking water and sanitation facilities both for men and women meeting the minimum humanitarian standards, and improved hygiene messages are being delivered to the camps dwellers through Child clubs organized in camps. project has also constructed child friendly spaces in some camps where the residents agreed on their construction to help the camps children in their recreational activities and continuous hygiene messages to reach to their parents and households living in the camps. In the context of these IDPs the project has been a great success in engaging them for learning different vocational skills as the there are still no clear plans from the government side for their resettlement. they have been supported with learning innovative vegetable growing techniques, establishing their own poultry farms, clothes sewing skills etc. Cordaid in Nepal and its partner Parivartan Patra, is successful in wining part of the Ockenden International Award with CAFOD's support and will continue the activities with the IDPs as CAFOD's funding deadline will finish in the end of April 2017.

In the aftermath of the 2015 earthquakes, CAN is seeking to respond to a request from communities in the GaunKharka VDC of Nuwakot District near Kutumsang in the Helambu region of Nepal to replace and rebuild the Shree Himalayan Primary School and the Birendra Secondary School, which were destroyed in April 2015. Our ambition is to work in partnership with local communities to rebuild new sustainable schools, providing high quality school learning facilities with sound earthquake resistant features. The project is closely working with the School Management Committees (SMCs) to strengthen their capacity in financial and school management and O&M of schools and water supplies. Along with the construction of the school buildings the Project is also supporting to rehabilitate water supply systems to both the schools, construction of latrines for boys, girls and teachers; increasing awareness on improved hygiene practices around water and sanitation and increasing schools and communities resilience to future disasters through DRR.