301 families of core areas in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur and Madhyapur Thimi are provided rental and host family support through community network. Lumanti Support Group for Shelter in partnership with UN Habitat and from the people of Japan distributed NRs 15000/- at the rate of NRs 5000/- per month for three months to each family. Executive Director of Lumanti Ms Lajana Manandhar and Shelter Cluster Team Leader of UN Habitat Mr Santosh Shrestha handed over the cash voucher to the community network on the event organized in Kathmandu on 10th November 2015. 

 

Lumanti Support Group for Shelter has mobilized its six community networks in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur and Madhyapur Thimi to collect the earthquake affected families who were not living in the temporary shelters and sheltered in their relatives and on rented room. A specific form was developed to collect the information about the families. Lumanti team along with the members of the networks visited the families in the communities for verification of the genuine families.

 

Speaking on the occasion Executive Director of Lumanti Support Group for Shelter said, since after the devastating earthquake, Lumanti has been providing emergency relief support and also supporting the communities for the construction of temporary shelters through its community networks with support from different funding partners and individual donors and also has mobilized its internal sources. She added, this rental and host family support is for those families who don't have access to temporary shelter and are living with their relatives or on rent. 

 

Talking about the reconstruction phase, she said, Lumanti is now planning for the reconstruction phase. The community as a whole need to be rebuild and Lumanti has already initiated the planning process in Sanogaon and Machhegaon. It is also working in two VDC in Rasuwa and is planning to cover more areas in urban settlements in Kathmandu Valley. She urged, we are on the process of developing the proposal for the reconstruction works and seeking funding partner to rebuild the community. 

 

On her remarks, she expressed her gratitude to UN Habitat and people of Japan for their promising partnership and urged for sililar support in future. She also thanked community networks namely Community Women Forum, ISKCON, Lyamha Pucha and Yala (Lalitpur) Earthquake Relief Support Forum for their support in identifying the needy families. 

 

Shelter Cluster Team Leader of UN Habitat Mr Santosh Shrestha delivering his remarks said, the concept of supporting host and rental families was developed realizing that the fact that the families in the core area in the urban settlements are the groups which are being left out. Very negligible organizations are focused to support those group; thus they are being isolated but seeking some kind of support, he added.  

 

On his remarks, he appreciated community led approach being adopted by Lumanti while implementing its activities and expressed his happiness for the wonderful partnership with UN Habitat. He also said that he would be happy in partnering with Lumanti for its activities in reconstruction phase in future. He also thanked the community network of Lumanti for their unique support in finding the genuine families.

 

Representative from Yala (Lalitpur) Earthquake Relief Support Forum Mr Shakya Suren sharing his experience on volunteer service during emergency relief said, without visiting the end users and interacting with them, reaching the genuine needy family is very hard though specific indicator for the selection of the beneficiary are clearly defined. He added, we have interacted with the community in grass-root level and reached the genuine family for support. Talking about the relief support during the emergency period he said, the national and international NGOs, civil society and the individual donors have provided significant support for the earthquake survivors which is actually the duty of the government. The government agencies in this case are not providing adequate support as expected by the people, he added. He further said, the package of support for rental and host families in core area of the urban centers is the unique idea as those groups are left apart even though they are one of the most earthquake affected families reprieved from basic fundamental needs due to the devastating earthquake. On his remarks, he also appreciated Lumanti's plan to work for reconstruction of the community and highlighted the need of support to rebuild the core historic communities in Patan. 

 

Representative from Prerana Women Saving and Credit 

Cooperative Ms Sarita Shrestha also expressed her happiness on receiving the rental and host family support and thanked Lumanti, UN Habitat and people of Japan for their novel act.