Dhanu* lives in Jajarkot, in western Nepal. She and her husband used to have a house where they lived with their son and four daughters. Like many others in their community, they supported themselves through farming and rearing livestock, and Dhanu’s husband shouldered most of the responsibility for providing for the family’s needs.
Earthquake disaster on 3 November
Then, on 3 November 2023, an earthquake struck the region and reduced Dhanu’s home to rubble. Dhanu, along with her son and one of her daughters, was rescued by helicopter after being dug out of the rubble underneath the house, but her husband and one of their daughters did not survive the earthquake.
Now, Dhanu is left to care for her remaining children alone, without a house or enough money to rebuild. The disaster has also left her struggling with depression. She lives in constant fear that something will happen to her son. Her mental health has deteriorated to the point that, although she has been rushed to hospital in an ambulance on three occasions since the earthquake, she has refused to stay for treatment each time. She said she would rather die than be separated from her son.
