Disaster Resilience Assistance Programme (DRAP)
To help people recover from the effect of the 2015 Earthquake with aims to restore their life and community and increase their resilience for future disaster.
Nepal is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Loss of life and property occurs every year from natural disasters. ACN has experience in serving people affected by disasters.
Nepal experienced a devastating earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 on 25th April 2015, which was followed by hundreds of powerful aftershocks including one very powerful shock on 12 May 2015 with a magnitude of 6.8. Approximately 9000 people died, more than 22,000 were injured and 600,000 houses were destroyed. These earthquakes impacted almost one-third of the population of Nepal. It was Nepal’s worst natural disaster in over 80 years.
The Disaster Resilience Assistance Programme was initiated by ACN and Pokhara Christian Community (PCC) to help with emergency supplies, rebuilding shelters for the survivors and restoring their lives by strengthening communities through various actions. The programme focuses on meeting the immediate needs through relief, recovery followed by the reconstruction and rehabilitation phase, which aims to provide long-term recovery support for rehabilitation of communities.
Relief phase
In the early relief phase, ACN reached out to around 15,000 families of 10 affected districts with emergency relief supplies including food, shelter and health and other supplies for emergency needs.
The programme later focused on 5 VDCs (4 rural municipalities) of Gorkha to continue its recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation projects.
Earthquake Recovery
In the recovery phase, ACN focused on meeting essential needs such as CGI sheets for housing, health camp, and training for ward health mobilizers, stationery and school bags to students. This was followed by the winterization programme as many families lost their homes and belongings in the earthquake.
Major Highlights
- 3,825,000/- NPR cash was provided to District Disaster Response Committee (DDRC) of Gorkha to support the shelter scheme in Shreenathkot
- 10,325 households received food and non-food items
- 172 households received 344 bundles of corrugated iron (CGI) sheets for housing
- 1,650 students received stationery and school bags to improve the learning environment in schools
- 3,486 people benefitted through winterization programme
- 212 households received water filter
- 202 children benefited through health awareness programmes
- 15 female community health volunteer (FCHV) received training on nutrition
- 495 corrugated iron (CGI) sheets distributed to 40 earthquake affected schools
Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
After completion of the recovery phase, the ACN team continue to work in Gorkha the severely devastated district to provide long-term recovery support. In this phase, ACN implements four different sub-projects. The projects help poor and marginalized communities in the reconstruction of schools, health posts, ward office, and private houses. Providing construction skill training to reconstruct damaged infrastructures, the programme also focused on the rehabilitation of livelihood, health, volunteer development, and mobilization as well as enhancing future disaster resilience.
Major Highlights
Reconstruction Project
5 earthquake resistant and disability friendly pre-fab health posts were reconstructed and handed over to local communities
4 earthquake resistant, child and disability friendly schools were reconstructed (2 primary, 2 secondary) and handed over to local communities
1 earthquake resistant and disability friendly ward office was reconstructed and handed over to local community
271 households were supported for their house reconstruction by vulnerable top up support scheme under Nepal Reconstruction Authority (NRA) guideline
Reconstruction Skill Training
325 local masons were trained on earthquake resilient construction techniques
50 men received one month house wiring training and passed first level exam of CTEVT
50 men received one month plumbing training and passed first level exam of CTEVT
Livelihood and Health Support
ACN planned different training and health awareness programs to improve health and rehabilitate livelihood affected by the earthquake.
- 2,848 people were benefited through women and children health camps
- 44 ward health mobilizers received three days Female community health volunteer (FCHV) training
- 1,756 households benefited through free animal health camps where 23,698 livestock were treated
- 28 males and 18 females received one month village animal health worker (VAHW) training
- 10 health awareness bill-boards were installed in 5 different health posts
- 145 farmers received goat farming training and with the completion of training 125 farmers received a goat
- 100 farmers received bee keeping training and bee hives were provided afterward
- 115 farmers received cash crop training along with seed support
- 36 women received tailoring training
- 13 people received one plumbing training and passed first level exam of CTEVT
- 27 people received one month house wiring training and passed first level exam of CTEVT
Volunteer Development and Mobilization
- 323 volunteers received Basic Disaster Risk Reduction Training
- 82 volunteers received Disaster Risk Reduction TOT Training
- 101 volunteers received Search and Rescue training
- 35 Volunteers from mother groups received Trauma Healing Training
- 93 Volunteers received Emergency Health Management Training
- 1 task force team was formed in Gorkha District
- 1 task force team was formed in Kaski District
In addition, the Disaster resilience assistance programme also responded after the Tarai flood 2017 and the Kaski landslide 2017.