Skye Sieber

Groundbreaking for first permanent houses after Nepal earthquake

With the turning of the soil in Pipaltar, Kavre district on July 8, a milestone event was marked. Habitat for Humanity Nepal held a groundbreaking ceremony for the first permanent houses to be built following the devastating April 25 earthquake. About 30 people were present including families who received the first temporary shelter kits that Habitat distributed in Kavre.

Ranuki Danuwar, 45, said: “My husband was able to return to work a week after the earthquake. I could not farm for a month—I was too worried that more earthquakes will happen. I only returned to farming because my husband said, ‘Earthquakes will happen, but life has to go on.’ ”

She added: “I realized that earthquakes don’t kill people. What kills people are the poorly-made structures that they built. I’m very happy that we now have shelter using materials from the temporary shelter kit that Habitat provided. I’m even happier now, knowing that permanent houses will be built for families in my community.”

Habitat aims to build a total of 100 permanent houses made of bamboo with the help of local partner organizations and volunteers. To date, Habitat has built 21 demonstration temporary shelters in Kavre and Sindhupalchowk districts to show affected communities how to effectively use materials from a temporary shelter kit. Habitat staff and volunteers have also distributed more than 1,600 kits in worst-hit Kavre, Gorkha, Dhading, and Sindhupalchowk.

Happy Navavarsha: Celebrating Nepali New Year 2072!
One of the things I enjoy most about Global Village trips is learning about the culture and traditions of the country we will be building in. I recently discovered Nepal recognizes multiple calendars, so its residents enjoy three New Year celebrations each year: Gregorian, Tibetan (Lunar), and Navavarsha. The Nepali calendar Bikram Sambat is roughly 56 and a half years ahead of the Gregorian calendar. This year, April 14, 2015 correlates with Nepali New Year 2072. Like any other New Year’s celebration in the world, Navavarsha a joyful time of socializing with friends and family and full of festivals.
Thank you for being a part of this journey to build homes and hope in Nepal!
~Namaste

This past week four new members have joined Team Prema and I'm preparing for a couple more interviews this weekend! "Prema" means love in Hindi/Sanskrit. I purposely chose this name for our team because we will be united in sharing our time, energy, and most importantly LOVE on this project together.
~Namaste