Nepal Earthquake Reconstruction

OVERVIEW

After the 2015 earthquakes, USAID’s Nepal Earthquake Reconstruction partnered with the Government of Nepal’s owner-driven housing reconstruction program.  The Multi-Donor Trust Fund created provides subsidies, knowledge, and verification that rebuilt homes are resistant to earthquakes.

HIGHLIGHT

USAID’s Nepal Earthquake Reconstruction dispatched qualified engineers to oversee the disaster resilient reconstruction of more than 400,000 homes.  It improved the construction practices among masons and established mass communication campaigns to reinforce the importance of safer construction methods.

USAID Supports Rebuilding Safe Housing: 

USAID provided long-term disaster assistance after the April 2015 earthquakes destroyed or significantly damaged over 820,000 homes in Nepal, making housing the single largest reconstruction need and the highest priority for the Government of Nepal (GON).  The USAID supported Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) undertook a comprehensive beneficiary survey to assess every damaged home across the 14 most affected districts and determined each household’s eligibility to participate in the housing reconstruction program.

USAID Leverages Bilateral Donor Investment: 

USAID used the advantages of the multi-donor approach to: (i) reduce transaction costs for the GON and donors by working through a single funding facility; (ii) increase harmonization of reconstruction by pooling resources in support of the government’s Post-Disaster Reconstruction Framework; (iii) reduce duplication of efforts among partners; and (iv) enhance transparency and accountability.  

USAID Includes Marginalized Communities: 

USAID’s contribution to the MDTF supported the hiring of almost 250 social mobilizers, which are 60% women, and 750 mobile masons, with women constituting 20%.  These teams’ primary responsibility is to link non-responding beneficiaries with program activities while providing tailored support, especially to the vulnerable populations, to expedite the reconstruction.