Humanitarian actions
On Saturday, 25 April 2015, at 11:56 local time, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal. It killed nearly 9,000 people and injured nearly 22,000. Nepal had not faced a natural disaster of comparable magnitude in over 80 years.
The catastrophic earthquake was followed by more than 300 aftershocks of a greater than magnitude 4.0, which triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest and in the Langtang Valley, where 250 people were reported missing. Hundreds of thousands of Nepali people were left homeless with entire villages flattened across many districts of the country. Centuries-old buildings were also destroyed at UNESCO World Heritage sites in the Kathmandu Valley.
A closer look at the devastating 2015 earthquake reveals just how profoundly the event impacted girls and women. 40,000 women were at immediate risk of gender- and sexual-based violence. According to UN reports, during natural disasters, the likelihood of rape, sexual exploitation, and risky behaviour greatly increases the likelihood of unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, and complications for reproductive health.
When the humanitarian crisis started, Apeiron joined the effort to support protection systems, and to prevent and respond to violence and gender-based violence against children and women, particularly among displaced populations. We operated a roving Female Friendly Space (FFS) in various displacement camps within the Kathmandu Valley and in Dhading District to provide multipurpose safe spaces for vulnerable women and children. The FFS was open 24 hours a day and travelled from camp to camp in cycles of 30 days to act as a referral center and information desk where women and children could go, report incidences, obtain referrals for services, attend workshops, access temporary shelter, and most importantly, feel safe. All staff were trained on gender issues and GBV. Furthermore, the FFS was protected with the police on-call. All activities were based on the Human Rights Based Approach.
In addition, we provided dignity kits for female-headed households and pregnant women, and then built Temporary Learning Centers (TLCs) in Jharlang, a village in Dhading District. The remoteness, the geographic difficulties, and the risk of continued natural disasters made it a challenge for most development agencies to intervene in the area. In partnership with a local NGO, we were able to build 25 TLCs to serve 10 schools in Jharlang. More than 1,200 students of the village benefited. We recently upgraded the TLCs to be safer and stronger by providing a conducive learning environment for all children in Jharlang.
Since people are finding it difficult to recover even some years after the earthquake, Apeiron continues to help earthquake survivors rebuild their lives with dignity. We support returnees and internally displaced households in Sindhupalchok District, one of the most affected areas from the earthquake, with the highest share of Internal Displaced People (IDP). We supported 400 women from the IDP communities to learn knitting skills and produce winter items. The project supported them with a daily wage as per the district rate for a month. Furthermore, we have also provided livelihood support for an additional 300 women, and we have distributed winterization support to 800 of the most vulnerable survivors.
