Nepal two years after the earthquake: What does life look like now?

International support poured in after a devastating earthquake and its aftershock rocked Nepal in April 2015, killing more than 9,000 people. And while the recovery process is underway, organisations working on the ground say there is still much to be done

Hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless in the devastation of the earthquake and its aftermath

Just over two years have passed since an aftershock rocked Nepal causing widespread panic and further loss of life after the devastating April 2015 earthquake.

More than eight million people were affected by the two disasters that killed over 9,000 and laid waste to the country’s landscape. More than a million children lost either their parents, their homes or their schools – or all three.

The Kathmandu Valley was one of the hardest hit areas of the April 2015 earthquake, with the shock waves bringing the city’s ancient and beautiful temples crashing to the ground.

Construction efforts in the city have been monumental, with local communities pulling together to help with the work.

The Sunkoshi Higher Secondary School in Sokhubeshi was one of the tens of thousands levelled in the earthquake.

Workers have been busy constructing a semi-permanent building to replace the school.

Eleven-year-old Mina, a student who attends the school in the Sindhuli Valley, was working in a maize field with her grandparents when the disaster struck.

“I had no idea there was going to be an earthquake,” she says.

“I was terrified but I didn’t cry. I was a bit worried when I saw the school was damaged, that the earthquake would happen again.

“Now that they are rebuilding the school it is wonderful. I like coming to school. I want to be a teacher when I’m older.”

Sunkoshi will be one of 45 new schools built by UK charity Street Child that will help 7,200 children receive an education over five years – something that would not have been possible without the generosity of supporters such as the Swedish Postcode Foundation.

The buildings are temporary, however, and they will eventually need to be replaced with more permanent structures.

And the work that lies ahead for Nepal goes beyond its buildings. One thing that has become evident during the post-earthquake effort in Nepal, is that it is the most marginalised communities that have a disproportionately difficult time getting back on their feet after a disaster like this.

Researchers for Street Child have identified communities of “invisible” children who are still falling through the net in Nepal, and who still have almost no access to education.

One of the most marginalised communities in Nepal is that of the “untouchable” Musahar caste.

The Musahar – which means “Rat Eater” in Bhojpuri – are so cast out by society that some people even refuse to drink the tea or eat the food they prepare.

They are politically marginalised, economically exploited and socially humiliated, and face an endless cycle of dependency and poverty.

In Nepal, most citizens, even lower caste ones, own land. But the Musahar are denied citizenship and therefore have none of the legal rights afforded to citizens.

“The international community needs to see that your work isn’t done once you’ve rebuilt the buildings that were destroyed by the earthquake,” says Ramya Madhavan, Street Child’s Nepal Programmes Manager.

“Until you address people’s chronic vulnerabilities, the things that make them vulnerable in the long-term, anything that you do to address their acute vulnerabilities is only going to be a Band-Aid solution.

“Yes, you can build them a house. Yes, you can build them a school. But until you hit those deep, underlying issues, when the next disaster strikes we’re going to be in exactly the same position.”

To find out more about Street Child’s work in Nepal or to help marginalised communities and children impacted by the earthquake, visit www.street-child.co.uk