Reducing risk in Nepal

Emergency fund

In rural Makawanpur, ETSC (Education, Training and Service for Communities) supports a network of self-help groups. The groups have a focus on saving and credit, but ETSC also provides them with training in how to reduce the risk of disaster.

As a result of this training, Bhirkot Kandrang self-help group has used some of the interest gained on their savings to create a small fund for use in emergency situations. This fund recently saved the life of one of their members, Shristi Bishwokarma. 

Shristi went into labour with her second child. She was expecting a smooth home delivery but complications meant that she and the baby needed urgent medical attention. The self-help group immediately organised transport to the nearest hospital and looked after her while she waited for family members to arrive. 

The doctor referred Shristi to a different hospital because the case was complex, and the self-help group used the emergency fund to pay for transport and treatment. There the baby was delivered safely.

This collective effort strengthened the bonds between the self-help group members, and helped them to realise how important it is to plan ahead.

Coordination

Micah Network Nepal has established a Disaster Risk Reduction Network made up of local and national committees. The network helps coordinate the work that churches and Christian organisations are doing to increase resilience in many districts in Nepal. When there is a disaster, the network helps these organisations to respond quickly and work together effectively.

In November 2023, a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck the districts of Jajarkot and Rukum, killing 156 people and damaging almost 40,000 houses. Due to good planning and preparation, the network was able to coordinate with several organisations to provide immediate support for many hundreds of families.

Shortly after the earthquake the network brought together 19 organisations and churches to run health camps in Rukum, providing 20,000 people of all ages with basic healthcare and advice. This was followed by further practical support in January 2024 for families displaced by the earthquake. 

To help with long-term recovery, 40 people in the network have been trained in psychosocial counselling so they can continue to help people affected by the earthquake and other traumatic experiences.

Mobile phone applications

When fire spread through the remote Himalayan village of Gothigaun in Jumla District, the whole community was devastated. Many families lost their homes, food stores, cattle, clothes and furniture.

Gothigaun is only accessible on foot, and it could have taken many days before anyone heard about the disaster and organised supplies to be carried in. But International Nepal Fellowship (INF) has developed a Disaster Rapid Assessment tool that allows people to use a mobile phone to quickly notify INF and provide them with details when something like this happens.

As soon as INF staff received the notification from Gothigaun they started to respond, and they were the first to reach the village with much needed food and other support. 

INF is also showing remote communities how to use a mobile phone application for weather forecasting so they can adapt their farming practices to the changing climate. The application is helping farmers to make informed decisions about what to plant, where and when, reducing losses and improving agricultural productivity.