It has been six months since the 8.0 earthquake struck northern Nepal on April 25, 2015 severely affecting thousands of people’s lives and livelihood.  According to UNOCHA, over 8000 lives as well as 600,000 houses have been lost by the disaster, and there are about 60,000 people in displacement. *

Peace Winds Japan (PWJ) has been working on the ground since April 28.  Our disaster relief programs have touched over 8,500 people’s lives in earthquake affected communities.  Here’s a summary of our projects we want to share with you.

Emergency Response

Search and Rescue (SAR) : Our SAR Team with two trained SAR dogs arrived in Kathmandu on April 28, and immediately started rescue operations. The team searched for survivors in and around Kathmandu to as far as villages in the Sindulpalchok district of northeastern Nepal, one of the hardest hit areas, which required the one time use of a helicopter to reach this remote area.  The SAR team covered over ten locations in Kathmandu, Sindhupalchok, and Baktapur districts.

Emergency Relief Goods Distribution : PWJ’s emergency response also included distribution of relief goods to 500 people in Kubinde village, Sindhupalchok District.  We delivered basic and necessary food items such as rice, salt, lentil, oil to 550 households.

Building Disaster Resilient Communities

In order for affected communities to start rebuilding, the first task was to remove and sort debris of their houses.  People were eager to restart their lives and PWJ wanted to support their effort, however, it was also very important that PWJ help them become more disaster resilient.  We are currently working with people in Sanisiribari village, where the earthquake destroyed over 90 per cent of the houses. PWJ’s Shelter Program not only distributes CGI sheets, but also provides technical training to local masons, and demonstrates how to use skills learned by building more reinforced houses. In this way, valuable knowledge will remain within the community, which results in a more disaster resilient community.   As of October 24, 1035 households have received CGI sheets and 8 model houses have been completed by PWJ trained masons. This is an on-going project and we plan to support additional families.

Working with Local Partners

PWJ values working in partnership with local organizations on the ground. Our local partner ISAP has helped us by providing local perspectives as well as cultural background, to help PWJ determine the most effective and efficient relief program.

Moving Forward

PWJ will continue with our Shelter Program.  With winter approaching, we will closely monitor the situation and continue working with local communities and local partners to provide necessary support to help affected communities for a faster recovery.  We will be posting more updates about our on-going Nepal recovery activities, please check our website at www.peace-winds.org/en.

Thank You For Your Support!

As of October 20, 2015, PWJ has received over $230,000USD donations and PWJ would like to express our most sincere appreciation for all the contributions we have received from all over the world. 

Thank You for Your Support!

*UNOCHA Situation Report September 2015