The magazine of the photo-essay
March 2017 back issue
by Szymon Barylski
“A free, really high quality photo-essay magazine. Fabulous!”
Stephen Fry. British actor, writer and film & documentary maker
In 2015 Nepal was destroyed by two powerful earthquakes. The first one measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck on
25 April, another 17 days later, on 12 May. These earthquakes killed nearly 9,000 people, destroying over 600,000
homes.
After more than year and a half, the Nepalese are still struggling with the aftermath of this tragedy. Just after the disaster,
200,000 rupees (about 2,000 U.S dollars) were promised by the government to each family who lost their home.
However, in March 2016 a small number of people received only 50,000 rupees (500 U. S dollars). Many earthquake
victims are still living in temporary wooden shelters with corrugated iron roofs, which are their only protection during the
monsoon season. The residents of Gorkha District, near the epicentre of the earthquake, are still uncertain of their
future. Many survivors have lost everything they owned, and on top of all that, they have lost their families and friends.
But some are trying to rebuild their homes on their own, taking materials from the destroyed houses. The elderly are
helpless because they are not able to build a new home on their own at their age.
"We want our homes to be rebuilt as quickly as possible. Most of the people who are able to build their homes on their
own have almost finished, and we're afraid that the government may leave us and forget about support for us," said a
resident of Baluwa.
"At first we received 10,000 rupees, 50,000 in total, so we started building our temporary shelter. We’ve borrowed money
from people, we didn't know the construction of a house is so expensive; we don't know how to pay off our debts. We've
heard the Government is not going to give us any money. Some have told us that we’ll receive only 15,000 rupees.
What should we do? We're still struggling...," said a resident of Barpak.
"We were a very happy family, but the earthquake took my husband who got stuck under a collapsed building. My life is
miserable and sad," said a resident of Barpak.
"After the earthquake, our life is a constant struggle. We've built a temporary shelter using all the money we had. Now
our life is a struggle; we don't know whether we'll be able to build a new home, we don't know whether we'll be able to
send our children to school. My health is getting worse and worse...," said a resident of Barpak.
Girls in the village of Baluwa, Gorkha District. Near the epicentre of the 2015 earthquake which killed 9,000 people.
A family living in a temporary shelter in the village of Baluwa, in Gorkha District.
Men rebuilding houses destroyed by the earthquake of April 2015. Mandre, Gorkha District, near the epicentre.
Men rebuilding houses destroyed by the earthquake of April 2015. Mandre, Gorkha District, near the epicentre
Men rebuilding houses destroyed by the largest earthquake in Nepal in more than 80 years. Baluwa, Gorkha District.
More than year and a half has passed since the earthquake. The money for rebuilding homes has not been given to
the survivors yet. Residents of the village of Barpak, in Gorkha District, are rebuilding homes on their own.
Workers rebuilding houses in Barpak, Gorkha District, in the epicentre of the 2015 earthquake which almost destroyed
the entire village.
Men doing building work in the village of Barpak, which was almost completely destroyed by the earthquake of April
2015.
Indra Kumari Ghale who lost her nephew during the earthquake which killed nearly 9,000 people in a temporary
shelter. Barpak, Gorkha District.
A family who lost their home during the earthquake of April 2015. Now they are living in a temporary shelter which they
managed to rebuild using materials from the remains of their destroyed hom
A resident of the village of Barpak doing everyday work.
A woman crushing rocks into gravel with a hammer; this material is needed for constructing houses. It is hard and
laborious work, which they do for several hours every day. Barpak, in Gorkha District, the epicentre of the earthquake.
A woman carrying a basket of rocks; a material necessary for rebuilding homes destroyed by the earthquake.
After more than year and a half, the residents of Barpak are still living in temporary shelters.
A resident of the village of Baluwa, Gorkha District, in front of a temporary shelter in which she is living with her parents,
two sisters and grandfather.
Maldhani Gurung a 70-year-old woman with her granddaughter in the village of Baluwa, Gorkha District.
Ran Bahadur Gurung, an 80-year-old man in a temporary shelter in the village of Baluwa, in Gorkha District.
Pupils in a school in Mandre, Gorkha District. On 25 Apr 2015 the school was completely destroyed by the earthquake.
It was only after 4 months that the residents managed to rebuild a temporary school, using corrugated iron. 250 pupils
attend this school. They are taught in poor conditions, without electricity and school materials.
