‘They told me I can’t receive anything because I only have a daughter’

13 Jan 2016

‘They told me I can’t receive anything because I only have a daughter’

By Ritu Panchal

“My daughter was born with a disability. Since my husband died 20 years ago, it has been me and my daughter against the world.

“Being a woman in this society is difficult. As a woman, you are born with the responsibility of a family. Your life begins and ends with the family. I lost my house and everything inside it in the earthquake. Like the rest, I stay in a temporary tarpaulin tent. I can’t go anywhere to work because there is a constant fear that anyone can enter it and my daughter won’t be able to fend for herself because of her mental impairment. I have no sense of security. I am scared of this generation. I am scared of the men.

“As woman in this village, I have no rights. I haven’t received the 15,000 NPR that was pledged to every family that lost their homes. All the times I went to the local authorities, they gave me a list of excuses. Then they told me I can’t receive any money because I only have a daughter, and there is no point in getting relief as I don’t have a son. Now I have started believing my daughter is a burden to me. But neither can I kill her, nor can I throw her away.“

21 Dec 2015

‘Once, I woke up to find a snake slithering in my bed’

By Mandira Dulal

“We lost two houses in the earthquake. Our original home in Ikudol and our rented house in Badhikel. We spent five miserable days under the open sky. When we asked for help from our Village Development Committee, they told us to request it from the place we moved to. When we asked here, they said we should ask our original VDC. So we fell between the cracks and received nothing. We managed to buy zinc sheets and begged our neighbours for the bamboo and wood we needed. Now, my parents, my sister and I live under one zinc roof. This single room is our bedroom, kitchen, sitting room and store room. It is too hot in summer, too cold in winter. Once, I woke up to find a snake slithering in my bed. But we’ll probably stay here for four or five years. I’m determined to work hard, earn money, and build a new house for my family.”

Photo: Naomi Mihara

18 Dec 2015

‘It’s a miracle we are alive. But I wish another miracle would occur’

By Enika Rai

“The earthquake buried our landlord’s entire family under the house we were renting. We were away, so we are alive. I know it’s nothing less than a miracle. But as time passes, it’s becoming harder and harder to survive. I lost my job. We lost the money we borrowed from a loan shark to send my husband to work abroad. There is still a heavy interest to pay on that. We now live in a tent in a displacement camp.

“But of all the things, the greatest problem is that I’ve been unable to pay my son’s school fees. I have discussed this with the principal several times, but so far we haven’t reached a compromise. My son has started bunking school because his friends tease him. I’m worried about how that is going to affect him. I know our second life is a priceless miracle. But I wish another miracle would occur so that we can settle our financial problems and my son can go to school again happily.”

Photo: Naomi Mihara

10 Dec 2015

‘Recovery is not a miracle. It’s gained by action. But action is not happening here’

By Mandira Dulal

“I don’t know how many years it will take for Nepal to recover. I feel reconstruction is going at a snail’s pace. Recovery is not a miracle; it is gained only by action. But action is not happening here. In 2008, I experienced the 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Sichuan, China. Sichuan was totally destroyed. Nearly 70,000 people lost their lives, but the recovery took only a few years. There was such a strong crisis management team, government coordination and unity among citizens. The Chinese people were very proud of their government. It touched my heart a lot. I wonder when the time will come when we in Nepal can feel the same way towards our government.”

Photo: Mandira Dulal

19 Nov 2015

‘Painting these pictures, I forget the tensions’

By Rupa Khadka

“For the past 15 years, I have lived in a rented room in Kathmandu with my husband. Now we live in this camp. I want to forget the earthquake, but even now I am scared by nightmares. I saw people die in front of me. My husband tells me not to be so afraid, but my heart beats fast even when small aftershocks come, or when people joke about the earth shaking. It was only when I got the opportunity to paint here at the camp that I became more calm. I immediately felt better. When I picked up the brush again, I remembered my school days. When I was in fourth grade, my teacher taught me how to paint the danphe [the Himalayan monal, Nepal’s national bird]. In the village where I grew up, every day started with seeing this bird. It was my friend. I used to love painting it, and my teacher would give me sweets for being the fastest in the class. But I couldn’t continue with my classes. My parents arranged my marriage when I was 13. Now, painting these pictures, I forget all the tensions of the past few months. I become lost somewhere in the hills and mountains and jungles of my childhood in Solukhumbu.”

Photo: Naomi Mihara

17 Nov 2015

‘My husband moved to Qatar in 2010. I don’t know what he is doing’

By Ritu Panchal

“My husband moved to Qatar in 2010 with the hope of finding a good job to support our family of five children, but he does not send any money home to assist with our children’s education. I lost my house in the earthquake, where I could have raised my children and given them the life they deserved. Instead, I struggle to make ends meet. My husband hasn’t spoken to me in all the years since he moved there. Neither has he inquired about our well-being after the quake or sent any money to rebuild our home. I don’t know what he is doing. I don’t even know if he is alive or dead.”

Photo: Ritu Panchal

13 Nov 2015

‘I want to tell people to forget all their pains and sorrows and celebrate Deepawali. Happy Deepawali to everyone’

By Mandira Dulal

“The festival of lights, flowers, colours and love between brothers and sisters is already in our courtyard. Among my four sisters, Mithu will not be with us this year. Four years ago, we celebrated Tihar together and that was the last rainbow tika that I received by her hand. After hearing the news, I couldn’t stay in Qatar. That terrible earthquake took away my house in Sindupalchok and the lives of both my sister and my sister-in-law. I immediately decided to come back to my homeland. My sister’s death was a very sad moment for me. But we need to understand that life is not immortal. Whatever happened yesterday, we need to forget it and live the rest of our lives happily, loving each other and sharing with one another. I want to tell people to forget all their pains and sorrows, and celebrate Deepawali. Happy Deepawali to everyone.”

Photo: Mandira Dulal

03 Nov 2015

‘I shall be alone for as long as I work here.’

By Namita Rao

“I have been working and living in this hotel for the past 15 years. I am the only security guard here. I want to be with my family but if I don’t work, there won’t be food on the table nor money to rebuild my home. Living away from them is not easy. It gets very lonely. All the staff members go back to their homes while I have to sleep in my quarters. I am alone at night, alone in the day, and shall be alone for as long as I work here.”

Photo: Namita Rao

02 Nov 2015

‘I need to rise for the sake of the kids’

By Mandira Dulal

“That terrible earthquake buried everything. I lost my wife, my children lost their mother, I lost the business, I lost my leg. I lost everything. I don’t even want to remember that day. My wife, Mithu, used to fast, worship God and visit pilgrims, but that selfish God was not just to her and her family. Life has changed a lot for me since the earthquake. With steel fitted inside my injured body and two small children in my lap, I need to fight back against a life full of darkness. I need to go for medical checks every month. I have no plans for the future. Sooner or later, I need to rise for the sake of the kids. I am thinking of setting up the business again. Let’s see where time will lead me and my children.”

Photo: Mandira Dulal

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