Recently we sent a member of our FONA team to visit Sindhuli district to capture the extent of the earthquake damage in the villages. In these villages, more than 80% of the village houses were damaged or destroyed by the earthquakes.
The district of Sindhuli is one of the areas worst affected by the twin earthquakes. And it happens to be my childhood home.
This big white house on top of the hill in Purano Jhangajoli village is the place where I was born
This big white house on top of the hill in Purano Jhangajoli village is the place where I was born
It was a happy moment for me to see the familiar faces from my village in Purano Jhangajoli, despite the adversity people in my village are still smiling and resilient.
My primary school English teacher standing in front of his damaged home
My primary school English teacher standing in front of his damaged home
I was encourage to see how resourceful people can be.
Most people had built very decent temporary shelters out of the remnants of houses using materials available, they were sharing and trading previous commodities, temporary learning centres had been built for children to return to school.
A village family standing in front of their temporary shelter. The most impressive temporary shelter I have seen.
A village family standing in front of their temporary shelter. The most impressive temporary shelter I have seen.
It is clear that Nepalese people have the willpower and strength to recover and rebuild. The key for us is to determine what kind of support is needed to assist people in the villages with rebuilding.
There is a lot of noise in the media and in international community about plans to rebuild Nepal. International architects and engineers are devising some innovative and highly creative housing solutions, from earth bags to bamboo structures and even houses made of toilet paper rolls!
Despite their well-meaning, I question some of these proposals and how much consideration has been given to their suitability local culture, conditions, climate, culture and tradition, local availability of materials. Who is going to repair and maintain these structures when the international community leave Nepal? And what kind of legacy do these new structures leave in communities that have prided themselves on the beauty of their cultural heritage and traditional architecture.
A typical example of the damage in this village
Looking at my village, I ask myself, what do the people in the villages really want? What do they need? How is the money of our donors to be best spent and make the largest and most long term impact?
It seems to me that people simply want to rebuild their homes. They have the building materials and the manpower. There are stones, mud bricks, timber, tin sheets, and other locally available materials. These are all -reusable materials. But the key is building in some safety mechanisms and engineered reinforcements to these traditional houses, providing guidance on HOW to rebuild their houses more safely to withstand an earthquake. And they need some financial assistance for the costs of making their houses safer.
I truly believe we can rebuild villages of Nepal to be safer but without damaging the unique beauty and heritage of Nepalese architecture. And on all accounts this is what Nepalese people in the villages actually want.
Amit Jung Thapa, Chairman and Co-Founder
More images from Jhangajoli village:
Rebuilding the village is not just about the buildings, its about creating a future in these communities for the next generation like these boys
Rebuilding the village is not just about the reinstating buildings, its about creating a future in these communities for the next generation including these boys
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