RedR UK Responds

Nepal (2015/16)

After the two devastating earthquakes which hit Nepal in April and May 2015, RedR worked to help those affected rebuild their homes, infrastructure and livelihoods - and build them back better, reducing the impact of future disasters.

On 25 April 2015, an earthquake of magnitude 7.8 struck Nepal. It was the most powerful earthquake to hit the country in more than 80 years, killing more than 8,800 people and injuring more than 22,000. Overall, some eight million people - almost a third of Nepal’s population - were affected. Hundreds of thousands were left homeless. Key infrastructures, along with historical sites, were damaged or destroyed.

Just over two weeks later, a second, 7.3-magnitude earthquake struck northeast of Kathmandu, causing further loss of life and bringing many buildings which had been weakened by the first quake crashing to the ground.

RedR had staff on the ground in Kathmandu when the first earthquake struck on 25 April. A needs assessment conducted by our teams in the days following the disaster identified two urgent needs - water, sanitation and hygiene, and shelter - and highlighted the importance of providing long-term, sustainable support to those affected. 
 
In the days following the earthquake, RedR launched an emergency appeal. Our individual donors and corporate partners responded with extraordinary generosity. With your help, we were able to train local NGO staff, government employees and communities, ensuring that they have the skills they need to help the people of Nepal recover from the earthquakes - and to prepare for and mitigate the impact of future disasters.

By the time the project closed in late 2016, a total of 1,268 people had taken part in RedR's training in Nepal. We continue to operate in Nepal via our sister organisation, RedR India.

RedR's Response

Shelter

According to the Nepalese government, 604,930 houses were "fully damaged" by the earthquakes, and 288,856 were "partially damaged". But it’s not only a matter of reconstructing damaged houses: it’s essential that affected communities are able to "build back better" so that future disasters don’t have such a devastating impact. With this in mind, RedR has trained 20 members of staff from Save the Children and partners in safe shelter construction, during a nine-day Training of Trainers programme in Dolakha District. 

We've also provided Save the Children staff in Nuwakot District with training in safe Temporary Learning Centre construction, helping to ensure that children can continue their education while reconstruction efforts are ongoing. 

"I am certain that from now on, whatever I construct will be sturdy and stable." - RedR trainee Badri Dhungana
REDR'S RESPONSE

WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene)

When opportunities for water contamination and the adoption of bad hygiene practices are rife, WASH is of critical importance. To date, our experts have provided two one-day open training sessions on hygiene promotion and community mobilisation, and three sessions on safe latrine construction. 85% of participants rated the training as 'good' or 'excellent', and 96% rated the facilitation as 'good' or 'excellent'. 

RedR also provided WASH in Emergencies training to Save the Children staff in three districts: Dhulikel, Nuwakot and Mugling.

Water collection in Katike, Sindhupalchok District, May 2015
Water collection in Katike, Sindhupalchok District, May 2015
RedR's Response

Supporting the Sector

RedR also used its expertise to benefit the humanitarian sector as a whole:   

  • In the wake of the disaster, national and international NGOs in Nepal expanded the scale of their operations and took on extra staff, many of whom, although dedicated, have little or no experience in humanitarian aid work. That’s why, along with technical capacity-building, we've provided training in Project Cycle Management and Essentials of Humanitarian Practice to a total of 74 local and international aid workers in Kathmandu and Chitwan.
  • In early July, RedR facilitated a Lessons Learned Workshop for 30 staff from ADRA, helping them to analyse and capitalise on their response to the earthquakes.
  • Our partners Ramboll advised representatives of Chautara Municipality on safe demolition, helping them carry out structural assessments and drawing up guidelines for the future.  

See the impact of your support

Institutional donors and individual supporters made our response to the earthquake possible.

1268 people were trained by RedR

as part of our response to the earthquake