Setting firm foundations for Nepal's quake recovery

With a simple stone-setting ceremony, Tearfund has begun laying the foundations of building hope for families affected by Nepal’s 2015 earthquakes.

Tearfund is among the first aid groups to start constructing permanent new homes for survivors of last April’s disaster, which claimed 8,000 lives.

Thuli Maya Syangten, 77, who lost her house in the quake and is currently living in a temporary shelter, will be the first recipient of a new home from Tearfund. The commencement of work, which will take several months, coincided with a Nepali government-led earthquake awareness week.

Douwe Dijkstra, Tearfund’s Country Director for Nepal, helped lay the first stone for Thuli’s new home, in a ceremony attended by government officials and covered by local and national Nepali media.

Douwe said, ‘We are working closely with the Nepali authorities to deliver reconstruction and this housing project will mark a watershed in our efforts to help people transition from temporary to more permanent structures.’

Tearfund is planning to build 600 new homes in Makawanpur for people who have been identified as the most vulnerable following the quake.

We’ve also been offering a refresher course for 180 craftsmen, such as stonemasons, who had previously been trained in how to build earthquake-resistant homes.

Since the earthquake, Tearfund has provided more than 15,000 families with building materials and guidance to make repairs to their homes and construct temporary shelters.

As well as housing help, Tearfund has been providing aid so Nepalis are better able to cope with winter conditions in the Tistung and Agra areas of Makwanpur. We’ve been supplying matting for floors and blankets, as well as buckets to collect drinking water.