A tremendous international aid effort has helped save thousands of lives in earthquake-struck Nepal. However, six months on, as the rubble is cleared and the debris settles, longer-term impacts are starting to emerge — not least for Nepal’s women, who are facing significant challenges.
Six months ago, four-year-old Krishla was playing with her friends in the courtyard of her home when the massive quake struck. The children were crushed as walls collapsed and stones rained down on them.
An hour later, rescuers pulled them from the rubble. Krishla had serious head injuries and was in need of medical attention. Tragically, it was too late for one of Krishla’s friends, who was killed in the crush.
Stories like this are all too common. Krishla’s friend was one of nearly 9,000 people killed in the disaster.
About 23,000 people were injured and hundreds of thousands were left homeless.
Krishla and her mother, Rama, needed food and shelter. ActionAid housed the family in emergency accommodation, supplied clothes and ensured they had enough to eat. The charity has helped 120,000 people, initially by providing food and emergency shelter, and helping women and girls recover from the emotional trauma of the earthquake.
Despite the physical and cultural barriers, much of our work in Nepal is being spearheaded by courageous women like Hima, ActionAid’s security manager, and Renu, our program officer in one of the worst-hit areas of Kathmandu.
Thanks to their dedicated work, our response program now includes helping to provide permanent shelter and the construction of earthquake-proof schools. Working in security, Hima is in a traditionally male-dominated world. By taking the lead, she is both ensuring the safety of our aid workers on the ground and challenging traditional views of women.
Women, especially in rural Nepal, are often marginalized in society and this exclusion has been reinforced by the earthquake.
Higher rates of illiteracy among women means their access to information, including the details surrounding their entitlement to basic services and support, is limited.
Quake damage to kitchens, food storage facilities and the loss of household equipment has made the domestic tasks that traditionally fall to women even harder. Damage to community facilities such as health posts, water supply and grain mills affect women more than men. As children’s schooling is disrupted, it falls to women to provide additional childcare and, where necessary, educate children at home.
The devastating economic impact of the earthquake has put enormous pressure on already impoverished families. Six months on, Krishla’s family, like millions of others, have been unable to salvage their belongings from the wreckage of their home because they cannot afford the 20,000 Nepali rupees (US$25) needed to pay for the debris to be removed.
“Our home got completely collapsed by the quake,” said Rama, 32. “We haven’t been able to clear the debris yet. Nearly everything we own is still inside.”
Her husband, Lakshman, works in a restaurant in Kathmandu, but his wages can only stretch to feeding and educating his three children and it is uncertain how much longer he can continue this hand-to-mouth existence.
With large numbers of men facing no choice but to migrate overseas in search of work, more women are being left behind to look after their families alone. Rama could soon be one of these women.
Despite these multiple challenges, Rama is remarkably resilient. She is happy her family survived and is still together.
“Krishla has recovered from her injury and both my daughters have recovered from the trauma,” she said.
The strength of women like Rama, and the energy of local aid workers such as Hima and Renu, give hope for the future. Renu helped to set up safe spaces for women to wash and feed their children in some of the worst-affected areas of the capital.
As winter sets in, people will need help to stay warm and to continue rebuilding not just homes, but also their livelihoods.
The earthquake affected this year’s harvest, so food will be in short supply. The political situation and fuel shortages are worsening the situation. Getting food supplies to rural areas is increasingly difficult.
The series of earthquakes, which struck Nepal six months ago, lasted only a few seconds each, but those few moments changed millions of lives. Six months on, countless families are struggling to rebuild their lives. Women are at the forefront of that struggle.
Krishla has made a full recovery from her injuries, but her family, like so many others, still face a daily struggle to make ends meet and build a better future.
Natalie Curtis was part of ActionAid’s emergency response team in Nepal.
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