Cover Story: Strength through adversity

In the seven and so month's time that our lawmakers have taken to raise their hands and endorse the reconstruction bill, Devaki Devkota of Mathilabisi, Sindhuli, has decided to take the reins of her future in her own hands. She concludes that the parliament hall is too comfortable and warm for the political leaders to even imagine the struggles that she and her neighbors are going through as they squabble to gain more authority and power. Instead she has now decided her odds are better with a small plastic bag full of seeds.

"I’m starting from scratch here. The feeling of loss is immense and it still lingers on. Considering most of us lost everything, I was certain that the government would take matters of distributing relief very seriously. But last I heard or saw anything in the form of government support was the Rs 15,000 which I used to build a temporary shelter. How long are we victims of disaster supposed to wait to rebuild our lives?" asks an indignant Devkota.

PRIYANKA GURUNG

In the seven and so month's time that our lawmakers have taken to raise their hands and endorse the reconstruction bill, Devaki Devkota of Mathilabisi, Sindhuli, has decided to take the reins of her future in her own hands. She concludes that the parliament hall is too comfortable and warm for the political leaders to even imagine the struggles that she and her neighbors are going through as they squabble to gain more authority and power. Instead she has now decided her odds are better with a small plastic bag full of seeds.
"I’m starting from scratch here. The feeling of loss is immense and it still lingers on. Considering most of us lost everything, I was certain that the government would take matters of distributing relief very seriously. But last I heard or saw anything in the form of government support was the Rs 15,000 which I used to build a temporary shelter. How long are we victims of disaster supposed to wait to rebuild our lives?" asks an indignant Devkota.
It's a sentiment that all 8,000 people throughout the 14 affected districts can obviously relate to. Thus everyday Devkota walks past the rubble that was once her two storey house, the product of her lifelong savings, to go and work on her fields. What’s more, she is not alone. After months of staying idle partially due to fear of another earthquake and partially due to despair that the devastation of the earthquake of April 25 left on its wake, the villagers of Mathilabisi and other affected areas are striving to get their lives together on their own again.
Chet Kumari Shrestha of Jamire, Sindhuli says, “We are restarting our lives again and building it back from nothing. We have lost almost all of our belongings, savings and property. When we were still experiencing the aftershocks, our lives were our priority. Work was the last thing on our minds. Even if we were keen to restart our farming and business activities, there was the question of reinvesting money and rebuilding resources. Initially, it was an impossible task.”
In such dire circumstances, what has become a lifeline for many earthquake victims is the UNDP and Australian Aid funded program Rapid Enterprise and Livelihoods Recovery Project (RELRP). Following the April/May disaster, the project is aiming to get entrepreneurs like Chet Kumari Shrestha to restart their work by making the necessary resources available to them.
Shrestha, for example, received help to procure the necessary seeds to farm as well as some tunnel sheets to cultivate them in a more favorable climate. This month’s harvest will be her first since the earthquake. Even though she was a micro entrepreneur who made her livelihood by selling her produce in the local market, post quake she believed she wouldn’t be able to resume that way of life. But a little assistance has her seeing the possibilities of a secure future again.
Similar is the case with Devkota as well. “My neighbors and I spent months gathering on open grounds and sitting in the shade all day in fear of the quakes. We weren’t only afraid but we were disheartened and depressed by the loss we all had suffered. But then, a little encouragement on behalf of the project sparked a realization that we must act. Pitying ourselves would do us no good. Neither would waiting for state help,” she said adding that she and her neighbor have recently received a community hand tractor which has doubled their efficiency.
The project is currently underway in seven severely earthquake affected districts: Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchowk, Kavre, Dolakha, Ramechhap and Sindhuli. Several people from these areas have had their lives drastically changed. A major determinant of this is the way their work has been hampered.
Lokendra Shrestha of Ramechhap for instance had given up on his junar business all together. He used to distribute junar juices by the truck load but the earthquake not only destroyed his factory but also caused irreparable damage to his machines. Dismayed, he hadn’t even taken steps to reclaim his business again.
“It was my psyche that suffered a big blow. It was terrible to see all my business investment in shambles right in front of me. But then I received some assistance and that proved to be a big turn of events for me. They provided most of the machinery and resources that I needed. So at the moment, since it is junar season, I’m back in full swing,” says Shrestha.
Since Shrestha also lost his house, he is currently living in a tarp outside the very building he is renting to carry out his business. He confesses it is incredibly cold and uncomfortable living out on the grounds in such miserable manner, but he doesn’t want to be distracted by anything at the moment and chooses to focus on his recently revived business. He is putting all his energies into work that only a few months ago he thought he had lost forever. In fact, at the moment, he is even giving employment to several youths. He says it’s a conscious decision as he wants to give them reasons to stay behind in their hometown rather than going abroad for work opportunities.
However, the fact remains that across these earthquake affected areas locals have every reason to flee. Not much remains of what used to be their home or work. However these serve as great examples of how earthquake victims are capable of rebuilding their lives. It all begins with their source of sustenance. A little assistance on the matter can go a long way. Despite the tremendous struggle of having to survive without a home, there are many commendable cases of individuals getting back to work to restart their lives. And in the absence of any help from the state, they seem to have found some solace by focusing on their businesses.

priyankaggurung@gmail.com

It's a sentiment that all 8,000 people throughout the 14 affected districts can obviously relate to. Thus everyday Devkota walks past the rubble that was once her two storey house, the product of her lifelong savings, to go and work on her fields. What’s more, she is not alone. After months of staying idle partially due to fear of another earthquake and partially due to despair that the devastation of the earthquake of April 25 left on its wake, the villagers of Mathilabisi and other affected areas are striving to get their lives together on their own again.

Chet Kumari Shrestha of Jamire, Sindhuli says, “We are restarting our lives again and building it back from nothing. We have lost almost all of our belongings, savings and property. When we were still experiencing the aftershocks, our lives were our priority. Work was the last thing on our minds. Even if we were keen to restart our farming and business activities, there was the question of reinvesting money and rebuilding resources. Initially, it was an impossible task.”
In such dire circumstances, what has become a lifeline for many earthquake victims is the UNDP and Australian Aid funded program Rapid Enterprise and Livelihoods Recovery Project (RELRP). Following the April/May disaster, the project is aiming to get entrepreneurs like Chet Kumari Shrestha to restart their work by making the necessary resources available to them.

Shrestha, for example, received help to procure the necessary seeds to farm as well as some tunnel sheets to cultivate them in a more favorable climate. This month’s harvest will be her first since the earthquake. Even though she was a micro entrepreneur who made her livelihood by selling her produce in the local market, post quake she believed she wouldn’t be able to resume that way of life. But a little assistance has her seeing the possibilities of a secure future again.

Similar is the case with Devkota as well. “My neighbors and I spent months gathering on open grounds and sitting in the shade all day in fear of the quakes. We weren’t only afraid but we were disheartened and depressed by the loss we all had suffered. But then, a little encouragement on behalf of the project sparked a realization that we must act. Pitying ourselves would do us no good. Neither would waiting for state help,” she said adding that she and her neighbor have recently received a community hand tractor which has doubled their efficiency.

The project is currently underway in seven severely earthquake affected districts: Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Sindhupalchowk, Kavre, Dolakha, Ramechhap and Sindhuli. Several people from these areas have had their lives drastically changed. A major determinant of this is the way their work has been hampered.

Lokendra Shrestha of Ramechhap for instance had given up on his junar business all together. He used to distribute junar juices by the truck load but the earthquake not only destroyed his factory but also caused irreparable damage to his machines. Dismayed, he hadn’t even taken steps to reclaim his business again.

“It was my psyche that suffered a big blow. It was terrible to see all my business investment in shambles right in front of me. But then I received some assistance and that proved to be a big turn of events for me. They provided most of the machinery and resources that I needed. So at the moment, since it is junar season, I’m back in full swing,” says Shrestha.

Since Shrestha also lost his house, he is currently living in a tarp outside the very building he is renting to carry out his business. He confesses it is incredibly cold and uncomfortable living out on the grounds in such miserable manner, but he doesn’t want to be distracted by anything at the moment and chooses to focus on his recently revived business. He is putting all his energies into work that only a few months ago he thought he had lost forever. In fact, at the moment, he is even giving employment to several youths. He says it’s a conscious decision as he wants to give them reasons to stay behind in their hometown rather than going abroad for work opportunities.

However, the fact remains that across these earthquake affected areas locals have every reason to flee. Not much remains of what used to be their home or work. However these serve as great examples of how earthquake victims are capable of rebuilding their lives. It all begins with their source of sustenance. A little assistance on the matter can go a long way. Despite the tremendous struggle of having to survive without a home, there are many commendable cases of individuals getting back to work to restart their lives. And in the absence of any help from the state, they seem to have found some solace by focusing on their businesses.

priyankaggurung@gmail.com