Helping Aurahi to rebuild from the ashes

On 15th of May when the terai plains of Nepal were tinder hot, and there was a strong wind blowing, a fire that started from an individual's home soon engulfed large parts of Aurahi Village Development Committee (VDC) of Siraha district in the Eastern Region.  A total of 1075 houses in five wards of Aurahi VDC were razed, thus affecting approximately 500 families. The fire that started in the afternoon, was fanned by the strong winds and spared nothing in its path.  The adobe mud huts, many with thatched roofs, were burnt down completely. The few concrete structures in the village, were comparatively less damaged.  

The fire spread so quickly that most people were not able to save any belongings-- valuables, equipment, food, clothing, books.  The victims are currently living in the open in the scorching heat near their burnt down homes under roofing sheets provided by Nepal Red Cross Society. Temperatures in Aurahi hit 42 degrees Celsius  in daytime.  

UNICEF has been responding as per the assessment and request made by the District Disaster Relief Committee (DDRC) of Siraha, which is coordinating the relief efforts with its many partners in the district, including Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS), UNICEF and Save the Children.

The DDRC with the NRCS, along with local social workers were on the scene first, providing immediate relief needs for shelter, protection and food.

 NRCS volunteers distribution non food items. The tarpaulins they provided to the fire victims can be seen in the backdrop
Police were mobilised to assist in the distribution of relief items

UNICEF and Save the Children staff members had conducted a joint mission along with the District Disaster Relief Committee members in Aurahi to assess the relief needs and gaps. The most urgent needs were that of shelter, food and clothing. Although the two schools located in other wards were spare, the children attending those schools from the affected areas, as well as their teachers, lost all their school supplies. The only clothes that most people had, were the ones on their backs. Below are Arinita Maskey and Bipul Basnet of UNICEF with Dhruba Devkota of Save the Children. 

Anirudra Sharma, who was part of the assessment team had also checked the nutrition status of children and babies in Aurahi. 

 The DDRC requested UNICEF to provide  hygiene kits, schools kits, medicated bednets,  water purification items, clothes for women and children, and also to set up temporary toilets. Save the Children would provide education kits, bathing spaces and safe spaces for children.
UNICEF Eastern Region Field Office in Biratnagar, with support from the Country Office, and in coordination with the UN Field Coordination Unit, sprang into action to meet the immediate needs of the Aurahi fire victims. Below  Bipul Basnet, Emegency Focal Point in the Biratnagar field Office begins to check pre-positioned stock. Biratnagar lies about 200 Km east of Siraha.

Hygiene kits are adjusted to meet the needs of the fire victims

Clothing items are added to the kits... Everybody pitches in to help.. the office staff too

 .. and then packed into sacks

 The packed sacks are then ferried to the waiting truck

 Field office staff, including field office chief, Sunita Kayastha (in far lest) watch the truck being loaded

...arranging the sacks...

Next to go in are school kits

 "Humanitarian relief material for Aurahi fire victims" in UNICEF blue needed to be spelled out boldly on the truck as the terai area is still reeling under banda (closure of roads and businesses) with demands preceding deadline for promulgation of new Constitution in 27 May. The front of the truck...

.. and back...

The truck finally sets off for Siraha with another UNICEF vehicle in lead.

The supplies, including hygiene kits and longer lasting insecticide nets (LLIN) arrived in Aurahi, and two days later were ready for distribution in the village.

People queued up to receive the relief materials with special relief related IDs in hand provided by the DDRC

The distribution was systematic and transparent. Anu Gautam helps in the verification of the relief ID card...

... and then in the distribution of the materials...

NRCS  and UNICEF staff tell people about the content of the medicated bednets and hygiene kit and utilise the moment to reiterate the importance of hygiene and sanitation

.. The people listen with interest as well as amusement...

Some are provided with one to one advice too

A recipient with the LLNI and hygiene kit. NRCS volunteers helped distribute 697 bednets and 461 hygiene kits

All smiles going through the contents of the kit

Meanwhile relief and maintenance work have been carried out by Save the Children. Below masons and labourers setting up the first of the 20 bathing spaces.

Tube well installed by Save the Children to meet the safe water needs in the village

Setting up a safe space for children by Save

UNICEF team members, including Madhav Pahari, third from left, sit down with Relief Coordination Committee members, NRCS and Save officials to discuss about the installation of community latrines that UNICEF will support. In order to stop open defecation being practiced in the community, and to control possible outbreak of diseases, with monsoon around the corner, it was decided to immediately build toilets in the affected settlements. Due to lack of space in the settlement, 80 common toilets will be constructed @ two toilets for 10 families (one for males, and the other for females).  Meanwhile, steps have been taken for a month-long WASH, Health & Nutrition promotion programme  in the community. The Primary Health Care Centre in Aurahi will distribute 1500 kgs of supplementary food provided by UNICEF through the District Health Office of Siraha to children under 5, lactating and pregnant mothers.

…So Aurahi tries to rise out its ashes, with a little bit of help from others...

Reports and pictures from the field by Anirudra Sharma, Anu Gautam,Arinita Maskey, Bipul Basnet, Madhav Pahari & Nathuni Mochi