Mercy Corps: Cautious Optimism Felt in Nepal Three Years After Earthquake Gorkha

Global organization powered recovery and preparedness for 164,000 people

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Since the massive April 2015 earthquake in Nepal, the global organization Mercy Corps has continued long-term recovery efforts, improved early warning systems and implemented disaster risk reduction strategies to help people rebuild from the devastation that impacted roughly 40 percent of the country’s population.

“In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, we provided emergency assistance to 135,000 men, women and children. But since then, we’ve been working side-by-side with communities to empower people to build back their lives and help them prepare for future crises,” says Sanjay Karki, Mercy Corps’ country director for Nepal.

With the majority of people living in rural areas and reliant on agriculture, the landslides caused by the 2015 quakes destroyed fields, hillsides and structures, wiping away livelihoods for thousands of families. Since the earthquake, Mercy Corps has employed more than 800 people in a cash-for-work program to build more than 50 gabions walls to control erosion and secure hillsides. The addition of bamboo, broom grass and other natural resources also stabilizes slopes. This has helped people confidently build back their homes and farms, despite ongoing vulnerability to landslides.

In addition to the gabion walls, Mercy Corps employed people to build 27 irrigation canals and 34 clean water points. Nearly 800 people participated in on-the-job mason training and in turn rebuilt more than 1,000 homes with earthquake-resistant materials and design. Mercy Corps also supported 23 local financial institutions to provide loans and saving opportunities to establish businesses, recover sources of income and build financial safety nets.

“The people of Nepal are incredibly resilient, but the country continues to face ongoing challenges to recovery,” says Karki. “With continued investment, we believe that communities will be prepared to weather future disasters and have the knowledge and tools they need to build an even brighter future.”

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