Together We Stand

[ 148 ] omies through local action. The communities we worked with in Coron are both physically and psychologically strengthened, through their own participation, to cope with impending crises. Recovery and resilience through adaptation and awareness Two devastating back-to-back earthquakes ripped through parts of Nepal in April and May 2015, claiming the lives of over 8,800 in the country. The seismic disaster impacted over 8 million people, in 14 of Nepal’s 75 districts, destroy- ing homes, livelihoods and infrastructure, cutting off already isolated communities. Over the course of three weeks, Mercy Relief’s response team delivered relief supplies such as food packs, household and hygiene essentials. Mobile clinics were also established to provide medical services across seven of the affected districts. Mercy Relief’s first recovery activity saw the provision of transitional shelters to 690 families, allowing them to anchor their assets through the monsoon period until formalized rebuilding guidelines were issued by local agencies. In Phulpingkot Village Development Committee (VDC), located within Sindupalchok District, Mercy Relief focused on establishing community evacuation assets and strengthening livelihoods while empowering communities to be the precursor for their own rebuilding process. Village trained masons, who previously were not well versed with resilient building practices, underwent training to expand structural and materials exper- tise, and upon completion were officially registered with the local government for reconstruction projects. The newly trained masons, under supervision by local engineers, worked on two of Mercy Relief’s Safe School Rehabilitation projects which double as community evacuation centres and as sites for disaster prepar- edness training for communities within the VDC. Masonry training for earthquake-resilient construction is often implemented to increase disaster resilience of prone communities. Since the inception of standardized building codes in 1994, there have been efforts by local Nepali agen- cies to provide technical expertise and train masons from its municipalities. However, enforcing guidelines and ensuring that adequate assistance is provided across all communities is a challenge, exacerbated by the country’s topography and diffi- culty in convincing communities of the need for improvements to their homes. In a country where an estimated 25 per cent live at or below the poverty line, structural soundness falls behind in the hierarchy of survival needs. Mercy Relief’s training equipped the masons with knowledge on how to utilize materials in their immediate mountainous environment such as stones, wood and mud, in construct- ing earthquake-resilient structures. Besides enabling them to source more economically viable jobs, these adaptable skills empowered the masons to be catalysts for change within their communities to counteract the common belief that resil- ient housing comes at a high cost. Community consultations between masons, villagers and local engineers also created platforms to promote the uptake of safer building practices in the reconstruction process, which was also being effectively modelled by the construction of the two schools in the VDC. With increased knowledge, capacity, and the means to effect change within their community the trained masons were empowered to take ownership and lay the foundation for resilient and potentially life-saving structures. In the event of another seismic disaster, these individuals will be better equipped to support others to be increasingly self-reliant in their coping and rebuilding process. Through Mercy Relief’s training, masons acquire new skills to construct as well as advocate for earthquake-resilient structures within their communities Images: Mercy Relief T ogether W e S tand