10 years ago, on April 25, a devastating 7.8 earthquake struck central Nepal – one of the worst natural disasters in the country’s history -, killing over 8000 people and causing the destruction of half a million homes. It took years for the country to rebuild.
Following the devastating earthquake that rocked Nepal in April 2015, humanitarian aid and rescue teams rapidly poured in tend to the injured and distressed. The Good Shepherd Sisters were on the first lines, actively involved in relief efforts. From day one, they contributed to responding to the most urgent needs of the affected communities, delivering basic medicine and food to outlying areas. Sr. Nicholas Taskhila, director of Opportunity Village Nepal at the time, couragesouly oversaw the relief and rehabilitation mission. She herself was a survivor of the disaster, traveling from Pokhara to Kathmandu when the first tremors were felt throughout the country. Mobilizing the available resources, the sisters rapidly mounted an earthquake response and aboard mobile clinics, provided psycho-social services and counseling to vulnerable women and children in the most remote and isolated communities. “Even though people lost their dear ones, they had no time to mourn, they had to look after the survivors,” Sr. Taskila recalled.
GSIF began actively supporting the relief efforts of Opportunity Village Nepal and played a crucial role in building the capacity of the sisters. The first interventions consisted of supporting disaster-affected schools, building classrooms and providing basic necessities such as clothing, food and emergency shelter. Moving beyond immediate relief and WASH interventions, Good Shepherd Sisters’ Opportunity Village Nepal and GSIF initiated the construction of health facilities in the months following the disaster. The project targeted the communities of Taklung and Tanglichowk in the hardest hit district of Gorkha, the epicenter of the earthquake, and aimed to ensure villagers’ access to quality health care services.
Following 2 years of successful collaboration between OVN and GSIF, a second project was initiated in 2017: to alleviate the challenges of water provision faced by the population, the so-called water uplifting project was developed and provided communities and health centers with drinking-water sources. The significant strides made in improving the living conditions of the population, combined with the desire to strengthen our action and impact at local level to better address communities’ needs, led to the establishment of the GSIF’s local branch in Kathmandu in April 2018.
10 years from now, GSIF Nepal has continued to expand its outreach. What began first as support for the recovery response to the Gorkha earthquake has turned into a long-term mission of human-rights protection, with a focus on protecting girls and children at risk of human trafficking and preventing unsafe migration. Guided by its belief in the power of collaboration and collective action, GSIF Nepal started new partnerships and strengthened existing ones, with local organizations such as Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre, and the National Network for Safe Migration in Nepal.
As we commemorate the 10 years of the Gorkha Earthquake, remembering the thousands of Nepalis who lost their lives and the millions affected by this tragedy, we renew our commitment to building a better future for the vulnerable children, girls and women in Nepal.
