Page 3 - The Daily Builder - Day 04

“We had to pass through villages group divided the area into seven disaster, she is forging ahead and
that were waiting for materials. sections and got to work. They took choosing not to dwell on what she
People were so angry,” she said. whatever tools they had, shovels, can’t yet fix.
But because of their reach and wheelbarrows—even their bare Thapa moved to a family home
influence — in Nepal, Heifer works hands — and began digging. Even in Jiling Village, across the deep
with entire villages, not just select with each woman putting in four river-carved valley after the first
households — staff were able to or five hours of work a day, it took earthquake toppled her home in
effectively and efficiently mobilize more than three weeks to finish Tupche. The home remains in
local governments, and they had the 4-mile road. ruins, as it will take significant
help and support from local police. “Even though we don’t have funds to demolish what’s left and
The project participants even homes we have this road,” said rebuild. She knows rebuilding will
volunteered in the distribution and group member Devi Rijal, 33. Now come in time and is determined to
registration processes, while the you can see that not just ambulances return to the home in Tupche.
chairperson from each Heifer self- but trucks and motorbikes can “I am very confident now after
help group ensured that no family travel through the village. It makes joining the Heifer group. I’ve
missed out. us feel very proud.” lost everything, but I know that
“It was a collaboration between In addition to road building, I can raise buffalo and goats and
Heifer and the districts,” Joshi said. women have been busy chickens and earn money,” Ganga
While relief efforts were ongoing, reconstructing livestock sheds. said. “I have my skills with me
Heifer staff assessed conditions for The group received the equivalent wherever I go, so I’ll continue
next steps and ultimately decided to of nearly $4,000 in revolving loan doing the same thing wherever I
In the months following the massive earthquake that shook Nepal on April 25, 2015, Heifer has supported tens of
thousands of families in the rebuilding process. establish revolving funds for each funds from Heifer. Each self-help go. What happened, happened.”
self-help group. About $2.5 million group participant received 15,000 While recovery will continue
Building roads By hand was distributed. The money will rupees, the equivalent of about for months and even years,
be reinvested in the community $150, and invested the money in these women have maintained
groups, ensuring local economies a variety of ways, including in their positive outlook, and many
By Annie Bergman tremors subsided—she continued The days and weeks following are infused with cash over and building improved livestock sheds, attribute that to their participation
Photos by Geoff Oliver screaming for her children before the quake were chaotic. Heifer over again. In Tupche village, purchasing animals including in the Heifer project.
Bugbee she realized they had made it home Nepal’s assessments indicated the Pragatasil Women’s Group goats, chicks, oxen and water “If we had not joined the group
and were clutching her legs. more than 11,000 participants’ mobilized almost as quickly as the buffalo, and rebuilding their own we would not have been able to
The shaking woke Gita Shakya More than a year after a homes had collapsed and another Heifer Nepal staff. Just two days homes. come together to rebuild our lives.
and her newborn baby from a nap. 7.8-magnitude earthquake 21,000 families’ homes were after the disaster — with 19 of the Januka Bogoti, 42, invested It is our luck that we survived this
She grabbed the infant and ran devastated Nepal, the women damaged. More than 3,000 Heifer groups’ 25 families living together in 150 chickens, while she used disaster and that after surviving,
out of the house as her belongings in Heifer’s projects can recount animals died. under tarps strung between trees some of her personal savings to we received support from Heifer,”
began falling inches from where with perfect clarity where they “We felt like we had to do — the group called an emergency build a coop and buy feed. “The Bogoti said.
they lay. were at midday that Saturday in something. We’d been working in meeting. The earthquake had 15,000 rupees that I received from Rijal took that sentiment one
Devi Rijal was feeding her April 2015. Though the trauma these areas for so many years. It blocked the single path into the Heifer was very important for me. step further. “Because we live on,
chickens when the ground buckled, is lingering and the road to a full was like it had happened inside the village, cutting off help for the It gave me hope and confidence there will be hope,” she said.
causing her to stumble. She fled recovery will undoubtedly be long, family,” said Neena Joshi, director many injured who needed medical that I could rebuild my livelihood,” Thanks to Heifer International for
downhill, looking back just in time each woman is forging ahead on of programs for Heifer Nepal. It attention. Bogoti said. letting us share the story of these
to see the walls of her home begin her own path. With the help of was Heifer Nepal’s first experience So, the women decided to build While Ganga Thapa is still amazing Nepalese women. The
to crumble. Heifer International, many of them providing relief after a disaster, a road. Together with six other moved to tears when she recounts original story appears in World Ark
For Ganga Thapa, the shock of are already miles ahead of the and it wasn’t without difficulty, Heifer-formed self-help groups, her story of losing her home, two Magazine
the earthquake didn’t end when the curve. Joshi said. the women of the Pragatasil goats and her grain stores to the

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