Blogging from Nepal: Distributing Building Materials in Baruwa

Blogging from Nepal: Distributing Building Materials in Baruwa
The devastating earthquake that struck Nepal in April has devastated the lives of hundreds of thousands of individuals. Homes, buildings, and temples were reduced to rubble in the worst disaster to hit Nepal in 81 years. Global Communities is working to provide shelter and basic supplies to survivors. The following is a blog from Response Manager Corey Michaud, who is helping in some of the hardest hit areas.

Baruwa is a remote mountain village of about 5,000 people located in the north of Sindhulpalchowk District, one of the worst hit districts in Nepal following the April 25 earthquake and a series of powerful aftershocks. In Baruwa alone, 121 people lost their lives and damage to homes has been estimated at 100%. During the dry season it takes about four hours to get to Baruwa from the capital Kathmandu, and roads are often unpassable once the monsoons begin in mid-June. This isolation, combined with extreme poverty and a mountain terrain prone to landslides, has made the population of Baruwa among the most vulnerable in Nepal.
On June 2, Global Communities together with local partner Helambu Education and Livelihoods Partnership (HELP) and district authorities concluded three days of emergency shelter distributions benefiting 550 households in Baruwa. At the time of the distributions virtually all Baruwa residents were sleeping outside their homes in makeshift shelters built with materials salvaged from the rubble. In addition to being one of the hardest hit areas, Baruwa is considered completely inaccessible by response coordinators. Global Communities coordinated a team of 30 people using small trucks and porters to move the kits into the village. Responding to the expressed needs of village leaders and district officials, Global Communities purchased and distributed 5,500 sheets of corrugated iron, coupled with nails and binding wire, thereby enabling earthquake survivors to construct durable emergency shelter that will withstand monsoon rains and winds

Beneficiaries receive corrugated iron sheets (CGIs) for construction of durable emergency shelter. CGIs will be used to rebuild homes and other permanent structures once the monsoons are over.

Example of the destruction in Baruwa Village. Families are living under makeshift shelters with little protection against the elements. 

A beneficiary carries a corrugated iron sheet. Baruwa was one the villages hardest hit after the April 25th earthquake. This combined with its extreme isolation and poverty makes it especially vulnerable.

Corey Michaud (far left) with members of the Global Communities Nepal Earthquake Response Team and partner organization Helambu Education and Livelihood Partnership (HELP).