In response to the devastating earthquakes of 25th April and 12th May 2015 that killed over 8890 people, the consortium of ACT Alliance members Dan Church Aid, Christian Aid, Lutheran World Federation and ICCO Cooperation are launching the Nepal Earthquake Recovery Project (NERP) with funding support from European Commission Humanitarian Aid & Civil Protection (ECHO).

According to a press release issued by Dan Church, the total budget of the project is €1.5 million with the European Union providing €900,000 and €600,000 co-financed by the Act Alliance consortium members. The project intends to directly reach 16,940 people to build back better and safer shelters guided by the ACT Alliance’s Integrated Shelter Approach.

The project will focus on gaps in the immediate humanitarian response. This will include addressing transitional shelter needs providing shelter materials and technical assistance through locally trained shelter technicians enabling affected households to build back better and safer shelters.

The project action will build on the immediate and on-going response carried out by the consortium members after the earthquake. It will include targeted cash transfer support, focus on sanitation needs covering household toilets and access to water and hygiene services at the community level as part of the ACT Alliance integrated shelter approach leading to  enhanced resilience to future disasters.

The project will run from August 2015 to May 2016 covering 14 highly affected VDCs of Dhading, Makawanpur, Rasuwa and Sindulpalchok districts.

The project will establish a baseline and continuously monitor its progress by using innovative mobile phone based technologies like the AKVO and Really Simple Reporting (RSR) apps for assessing performance and gaps. An end line survey will be carried out to determine the impact of the project. The findings will be shared with all the concerned stakeholders.

The consortium will implement the project through local partners in some of the hardest to reach areas in Nepal's mountains and high hills.