हाल रामेछापमा बस्दै आएका १० बर्सिए बालक अनिल लिम्बु हराएको सूचना | भेट्नु हुने महानुभावले तल दिएको ठेगानामा सम्पर्क गर्नुहोला |

Photo: 10-year-old Anil is recovering from the loss of his older brother, Sunil, who perished when their house collapsed during the April 25th earthquake

One year after powerful twin earthquakes devastated Nepal, ChildFund staff report families are finding strength in the face of huge challenges, as they focus on rebuilding their homes and restoring their livelihoods.

“People are still living in extremely difficult conditions,” says Mariko Tanaka, ChildFund’s country director in Nepal. “Many remain in makeshift houses and suffered through the severe winter. Without resources or savings to rebuild and get back on their feet, families are largely reliant on the government or NGOs to support their needs."

For the past 12 months, ChildFund has been providing food, shelter and other relief items to families in the rural villages of Sindhupalchowk and Ramechhap districts, with staff overcoming fuel shortages, ongoing aftershocks and the threat of landslides to ensure help made it through.

Photo: Anil with his mum outside their makeshift home

In fact, one year on, the aftershocks continue, not only making the recovery effort more difficult but causing significant psychological distress for children and their families.

“The feeling of uncertainty and fear is still prevalent for everyone living in Nepal,” says Ms Tanaka, adding that people have been injured from rushing out of their houses in a panic, thinking another earthquake was coming.

“Right after the earthquake, children would mostly be seen with their mothers as they were afraid to be away from them. At our Child Centred Spaces, we ran activities that slowly encouraged the children to let go and find the confidence to be on their own again.”

At school, teachers have observed that some students have become withdrawn and their studies are suffering as a result. In other instances, when there are loud, sudden sounds, students can also become frightened and agitated.