OJT program transforming lives – A Story of Babulal Yogi

- Rikesh Maharjan, Social Development Officer

Mobile Team – Malu, Dolakha

It has been around four months since Babulal Yogi successfully completed 50 days OJT program. A permanent resident of Jogigau-Malu; Babulal was born and raised in a family of four - a differently able father, mother and a brother –  has completed the 50 days training and now works at skilled mason. He has a long story to receive a earthquake resistant home and enhance him as a skill mason.

Betrayed Sarki Family now gets a Quake Safe Home

Chandra Sarki, a betrayed person of Chyama not only by the Caste but also by the poverty is a resident of Ward-2, Okhareni, Dolakha. Chandra Sarki is physically weak and has no job to do. He has been under immense web of poverty and could not properly connect his mouth and hand even twice. Chandra Sarki resides at poorly Constructed SMM house which even was a bit destroyed by Gorkha earthquake. He was quite anxious even to destroy his house as of to construct new earthquake resistant house because of his poor economic condition. 

Purna Bahadur Gurung, a Reconstruction Leader in Dhading

- Ram Krishna Sharma

Mr. Purna Bahadur Gurung, 51, with fallen off teeth lives in Kafal Chaap of Khalte, ward 01 of Nilkantha Municipality, Dhading. When he was young, he worked as labor in Kathmandu for some years but being frustrated he returned back to his village and began helping his mason father. For 22 years, he got involved in construction works, building conventional individual houses. But after 2015 Gorkha Earthquake, he found his knowledge was not sufficient and skills were not satisfactory.

"Parma System" helping rebuild Bigu Faster and Safer

Ram Krishna Sharma
Communication Officer, NSET-Baliyo Ghar

Family of Shanti Bhujel Back to their Normal life after Gorkha Earthquake

Parma System is a social practice of giving and taking help in labor or services turn by turn (Alopalo) while carrying out major social, cultural and agricultural activities. The practice of Parma is a culture of performing each other’s work turn by turn collectively. This is mostly prevalent in rural and agricultural societies.

This system is firmly prevailing in the remote areas of Dolakha where people seem busy rebuilding their flattened houses. While reconstructing houses people from neighborhood form a group and start constructing houses of people within the team.

Dream of a House Comes True For a Person With Disability in Laduk, Dolakha

Mahananda Timalsina

Sr. Communication Officer, NSET

As we reached Laduk village after an hour’s motorbike ride from Singati Bazaar on a dusty and bumpy road, Tapendra Subedi, 35, was moving about a local teashop with the help of crutches. The moment we met him and had introduced ourselves, Subedi, with tearful eyes, thanked the Baliyo Ghar programme for fulfilling his dream of rebuilding his house flattened by the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake. To express his gratitude to the Baliyo Ghar programme, beaming in happiness, Subedi offered juice to each of us and insisted that we accept it.

Struggle of Single Women in Rebuilding her Home

Sabita Wosti

& Kageshwori Manahara Mobile Team

Social Development Officer, Baliyo Ghar

Mrs. Sabitri Darji in front of her temporary shelter

Often, the progress of reconstruction is measured with counting the number of households rebuild, but few go in depth that how the beneficiaries came to rebuild their houses. Were they able to build their house properly and easily? No, definitely there are many hurdles and problems they had to face. Specifically, the households with low income, single women headed family, vulnerable groups have gone through miseries to rebuild their dream house.

They have faced problems like; land registration, lack of money, rate increment of construction materials, tedious process in receiving first, second and third tranches of government grant and lack of trained and local masons for reconstruction. Due to these reasons earthquake affected people are unable to reconstruct their house in time or if they are having their house rebuilt, their stories hits the heart. Mrs. Sabitri Darji, resident of Kageshwori Manahara Municipality ward -1 Gagalfedi is one of them.

Experience enriched with Training: A Mason cum Influencer

-Surina Kayastha, SDO & PRO

 NSET- Baliyo Ghar, Nuwakot

Mr. Chetra Bdr Gurung- 62, is the permanent resident of Satdobato-07 in Thanapati VDC (Previous) Nuwakot. Mr. Gurung said that “I have worked for 30 years in this profession but Baliyo Ghar’s Training is the first, I have ever received in my life very helpful in many ways. I have learned more advanced technology than the traditional methods we are practicing before such as bands (foundation, plinth, sill, lintel & roof), soling, how to bind rebar, placement of door and windows and a lot more. It support to heighten my experience with new skills and techniques. Now, I learned right technology to build Baliyo ghar”.  

Mr. Chetra Bdr Gurung with house owner Mr & Ms Pandey at Bismurey-07, Thanapati

Currently, Mr. Gurung is working as a head mason for constructing Mr. Ram Sharan Pandey’s house with the team of four in Thanapati and they all were Baliyo Ghar’s trained mason. After earthquake, he has already re-build five houses in which two of them are earthquake resilient.  These days, Mr. Gurung is more satisfied with his work because he got a lot of employment opportunity in his own place, he was more valued that he was a trained mason. He wishes that all the houses made by him be much safer than before.

Mr. Gurung participated in rural mason training and certified from government of Nepal. He is also working as an influencer for the house owner to #buildbacksafer construction and dreams to re-build his community earthquake resilient.

Journey of Disabled Person from Temporary to Permanent House

- Niraj Bahadur Aaidee, SDO- Sikre

Surina Kayastha, SDO & PRO- Nuwakot

NSET-Baliyo Ghar- Nuwakot

Mr. Lata Tamang-81, permanent residence of Shivapuri Rural Municipality- 04 Sikre, Nuwakot, who is a person with disability who can hear but couldn't speak clearly. He is living single as his only son travelled India for employment opportunities but haven't return home since past 8 years.

Mr. Lata Tamang and his temporary shelter

The devastating Nepal-Gorkha Earthquake 2015 has also affected Lata Tamang's house as of many. He is living in temporary shelter since past two and half years which has been built by the support of Tamang's neighbor due to his poor economic condition.

Mr. Tamang's under-construction house

Meanwhile, around two and half years after the earthquake, he is re-building his home as a "Model House" of the community as a part of 50 days-On the Job Training supported by "Baliyo Ghar Program" jointly organized by NSET/USAID. The training was conducted with the coordination and concern of newly elected representative and community people.  81 years Tamang's economic condition is poor that he couldn't manage minimum amount required to re-build his house. As a part, the ward level meeting has been conducted and decided to contribute certain amount individually by Locals which will be refundable after Government second tranches release for Tamang.

Tamang expressed his happiness by involving himself in day to day work at the training sites. He usually motivate the trainees by manually crushing stones into aggregates by himself, preparing necessary materials for the training, carrying cement and stone. He is now happily living in his new house and his happiness is only expressed by his smile every time anyone reaches there.

Mr. Tamang preparing aggregates