Bharath Prasad Pokhrel and his extended family lived in a fine wood and
stone house in Jeewanpur, Dhading. On their plots of farmland, they
cultivated rice and other food grains. Last season was good, and the
family had 750 kg of rice stockpiled, worth about NRP 25,000 (USD 250).
He also had a number of animals – buffaloes, cows and goats. The Pokhrel
family was quite self-sufficient.

It’s all gone now – the
house and the rice and the livestock. All that’s left is a pile of
rubble that Bharath Prasad says will take at least six weeks to clear.
He needs to do this quickly, because the monsoon is coming, and the
family can’t live for long in the small shelter he has made from
roofing tin and plastic tarpaulin. The shelter is crowded with people
and children, the few bits and pieces they salvaged from their house,
and the emergency rice they have received from the government. In the
meantime, he has to plant the next crop of rice, or the family will go
hungry next winter. Where will he get the seed grain, he wonders?

Building
a new house will be very costly though. Bharath Prasad reckons about
NRP 600,000 (USD 6,000) will be needed, money he doesn’t have.

But
Bharath Prasad is grateful. Fifty-four people died in his village, and
more than 80 were injured. His family was spared; only his daughter
suffered some injuries to her legs, and she is recovering well.

Along
with the other families in his village, and so many similar communities
across Nepal, Bharath Prasad is going to have to rebuild his home and
his livelihood. Nepali people are resilient, tough. They’ll manage, as
they always have. All they need is a little help to get started.