- Ananta Raj Bajracharya

 

Sharmila Nesur (Rita), 33, is a single women living alone inDalchowki VDC, Ward No: 1 in Lalitpur District  was at the community meeting when the first heavy jolt took place on April 25, 2015. "The meeting was just started, we felt a big jolt. For few seconds, I was completely panic. Could not think of anything," Sharimla recalled. 

 

While she reached home she found her house heavily destroyed and her livestock crushed inside the shed. She took help with her neighbors and managed to take out a goat and buffalo from the debris but could not save them. She lost her prime source of income that she had. She was living her life by selling the milk with the help of her younger brother. Their father is living in a city in Lalitpur and working there as daily labour. The money he earns is just enough for his daily expenses and hardly can save for the family. 

 

Due to the April earthquake, almost all the houses in her locality was heavily destroyed. Hardly few houses was standing still but with severe damage. All the people in her community managed to spend their night under the open sky with tents and tarpaulins for around 10 – 12 days. Some managed to pull out the bed and bed sheets and some not. Sharing about the hard days after the earthquake she said, "Men members of the village had spent many sleepless nights to guard their children and female family members. For the daily meal, some of us managed to pull out some food materials from inside the demolished houses and prepared the meal in mesh.  Three days after the earthquake, few packets of noodles distributed was the big source of happiness for us then." 

 

Gradually along with other members of her community, she hired some labours from the village and managed to build a small temporary shed using salvage materials from the debris where she could save her belongings. Sometime later, her brother went for foreign employment managing the loan from the agent themselves. 

 

More than a year after the earthquake, Sharmila feels bit satisfied as she could complete her new house with her only effort. Sharing her happiness she said, "It took around three months for me to complete this house. I am very happy that I have a house to live in that I have never expected." She added, "I was so happy for the support that I am provided to rebuild these houses – one belongs to my father and next one of my brother. So I have done everything that I could." She further added with pride, "I have cleared the debris myself, I have rendered my labour to complete this house and I have carried water on my back from the source down there which took more than half an hour to travel."

 

Sharmila is one of the beneficiary in Ward no 1 in Dalchowki where Lumanti Support Group for Shelter in coordination with Village Development Committee and with support from Sigh of Hope has been implementing a reconstruction project to support the needy families in six wards of Dalchowki VDC in Lalitpur with the target to support for the construction of 250 permanent shelters and community centers which can be used as evacuation centre in case of future disaster.

 

Sharmila and her brother have received Nepalese rupees two hundred thousand each as the grant support for the construction of their house as directed by the government. Despite of her happiness for her house, she is in dilemma in regaining her daily life as she has lost her prime source of income – her livestock during the earthquake. He is having hard time to earn her daily living and not being able to think what she should do due to the financial crisis that she is facing.


Prepared By: Ananta Raj Bajracharya