Most of them have begun reconstructing their own homes after getting tired of waiting for help.

Yes! While women masonry seems like a new term, the women of rural Nepal are taking up the task undauntedly.

And, the real question is where do these women gain their knowledge for reconstruction? It’s surprising that they sign up for mason training courses!

Skills for Reconstruction Project

When the earthquake struck Nepal, the government formed the Nepal Reconstruction Agency (NRA) to reconstruct/build homes for the affected residents with a 2020-deadline.

However, three years after the earthquake, the reconstruction activity is still on due to limited resources including skilled labor.

According to the United Nations (UN), Nepal is witnessing the exit of thousands of Nepali per week to look for job opportunities abroad. This leaves the country with lack of skilled labor leading to a slump in reconstruction progress.

Launched in 2015, the ‘Skills for Reconstruction Project’ teaches Nepalis in earthquake-hit areas to build disaster-resistant homes. The project aims to equip these people with masonry and carpentry skills while also helping the country to ease its labor shortage.

The training project has trained close to 9,000 people in 14 districts. The trainees have built over 3,000 houses in 10 districts. Nepal, the Swiss Development Cooperation, and Britain’s Department for International Development have jointly funded the project.

Nepali Women Masons

It’s disheartening to hear the plight of Nepali women, but at the same time it is heartening to see their determination for reconstruction.

“Sometimes we don’t sleep, rather keep our eyes open for the entire night when there happens to be heavy rainfall, because the rainwater keeps coming inside the house. We can’t stay here anymore.” said Suntali Rai.

Raigaun village’s Rai was badly hit by the earthquake. After a long-wait for reconstruction help she enrolled to a 50-day mason training course through the Employment fund, non-profit Helvetas Swiss Interco-operation Nepal initiative.

Post training, Rai and four other course graduates built a new house for her family, which will stay intact in the event of another earthquake.

“So far, I have built 15 other houses in neighboring villages and earned 250,00 rupees (USD 2,500), which I will spend on house furnishings and paint,” Rai said.

Similarly, Kanchhi Rai, another resident of Raigaun and a recent course-graduate has almost completed building her home.

Hope Despite Shortcomings

Despite challenges like illiteracy, lack of land ownership certificates and housing grants, these women have managed to make a significant contribution to their lives and other lives with reconstruction activity. We hope that they are able to achieve their goals and create for themselves a resilient ecosystem to survive natural calamities.

The post Nepal Women Gear up to Revive Quake-hit Nepal Ecosystem appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

But three years after the disaster, the task of restoring this prestigious monument is gearing up!

New Development on Nepal’s Iconic Dharahara
In a new development concerning Nepal’s iconic historical monument Dharahara, Nepal’s National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has finally awarded the reconstruction project to Raman Construction!

After a four-month wait, the NRA informed the PMO that it had completed its investigation following Kalika construction’s complaint on bidding anomalies.

Following this, Raman Construction, the lowest bidder amongst suitable others was given the project.

The designated company and its joint-venture partner GIETC has quoted Rs 3.45 billion for Dharahara’s reconstruction!

With other companies’ bid ranging anywhere between Rs 4.39 – 4.49 billion, Raman was in advantageous position with a difference of close to 1 million from its closest competitor, Kalika Construction and its partner companies.

NRA Chief Executive Officer Sushil Gyewali has informed that the NRA will hold an agreement with Raman and its JV, in the following two weeks.

“We will thoroughly study the document submitted by Raman and its JV. We’ve got to fulfill some procedures before reaching to a formal agreement,” said Gyewali.

He said that project will soon be forwarded to PM Oli who is keen on rebuilding the historical building located in the Kathmandu. Oli had expressed his desire to rebuild the project with public support, during his first term as Prime Minister.

Progress in the Making
Initially, the restoration project was to be taken up by Nepal Telecom (NT). However, the said party withdrew from the project in September 2017 following a disagreement over the structure’s design.

The Nepal Cabinet then allowed NRA to take over the project, which published a global tender notice on May 2018 welcoming interested construction companies for Dharahara’s reconstruction.

NRA also welcomed foreign companies’ participation in the reconstruction project but only through a Joint Venture (JV) with Nepal construction firms.

As many as six builders submitted their proposal to Nepal’s National Reconstruction Agency (NGA).

The companies who came forward for the construction include Raman Construction, Kalika Construction, Lama Construction and Kumar Shrestha Construction, among others.

NRA scheduled the bid openings for July 17, 2018.

“We were supposed to open the financial and technical bids of interested construction firms today. However, we will open all the bids next week as someone has filed a case at the Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers claiming anomalies in the process of announcing global tender by NRA,” NRA Deputy Spokesperson Manohar Ghimire said while assuring that the issue will be sorted out in a matter of few days.

Dharahara Reincarnation!
As per NRA’s design, the new Dharahara will stand at a 22-storey height. The first floor will house a museum in memory of the ‘2015 earthquake’ that shook Nepal with several facts and figures of Dharahara and the 2015 disaster.

The reconstruction project is estimated at around Rs 4 billion and will be funded by the government. Already, funds worth Rs 80 million have been collected from the ‘Mero Dharahara Mai Banauchu’ campaign.

History of the Spectacle
The Dharahara was built by Nepal ‘Mukthiyar’ Bhimsen Thapa in the 19^th century which presented a surreal picture of the entire valley.

The original monument stood 11-storeys high but unfortunately when an earthquake rocked Nepal in 1934, the monument was reduced to a mere 9-storey.

Sadly, the structure was completely destroyed in the recent earthquake killing over 100 site-visitors.

The Dharahara was not the only candle-tower in the Kathmandu Valley, its taller twin was destroyed in the 1833 earthquake and was not reconstructed.

Let’s hope NRA’s efforts will restore the grandeur and bring back the glory of the majestic Dharahara Tower!

The post Glorious Dharahara to Rise Again! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The Government of India presented a Rs 2.1 billion grant to Nepal as a reimbursement to the first tranche of private housing reconstruction grant it promised to the Himalayan nation under cooperation for post-earthquake reconstruction projects.

This grant would be supporting 42,086 beneficiaries awaiting housing support in Gorkha and Nuwakot districts of Nepal.

In its release, the Indian Government also informed that it has been collaborating with UNDP and UN Office for Project Services to ensure socio-technical support to housing beneficiaries in those districts.

The latest move by Indian Government follows the MoU that the two countries had signed on February 20, 2016.

As part of the agreement, Indian Government had agreed to support Nepal in its post-earthquake reconstruction housing activity by providing USD 100 million grant towards rebuilding 50,000 private houses in the aforementioned districts.

Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri handed over the grant to the Finance Secretary Rajan Khanal at an event in Kathmandu on July 27, 2018.

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