completed· Disaster Risk· Livelihoods

Nepal Earthquake Recovery Program

The project aims to improve the economic sustainability and resilience of people affected by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015. The earthquake, followed by a series of large aftershocks, resulted in over 8,700 deaths and 22,000 injuries, 2.8 million people displaced and 3.5 million in need of food assistance, including over 530,000 people who experience acute food insecurity (no access to safe, sufficient and nutritious food). Households involved in farming, small business and wage labour have difficulties recovering their livelihoods, due to a lack of inputs, skilled workforce (temporary migration of household members), and the demands of caring for the elderly and people with disabilities. The project is providing households with agricultural inputs (seeds, fertilizer, livestock and improved technologies); business and financial support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises; and labour market skills training. Project activities include: (1) rehabilitating small-scale market facilities that were damaged by the earthquake; (2) linking up communities with other service providers on large scale rehabilitation needs to stimulate production and local markets; and (3) providing gender-responsive disaster risk reduction training and organizing awareness-raising in communities (through radio, TV, and community information sharing) to increase the proportion of communities with disaster risk management plans.